Mass Effect: Resolution
by Cheese of Borg
Summary: One month after defeating the Collectors, life on the Normandy slowly begins to return to normal. But trouble brews on the horizon; an alliance dreadnought has gone missing, and where is Binary Helix getting collector tech? -T for minor sexual content-
1. Chapter 1:Messages from home

__Chapter 1: Messages from home_  
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The cup made a dull thudding sound as Joker put it on the table, it was his second cup of coffee this morning and it wouldn't be his last. As he finished his breakfast, the rest of the crew began to file in as the day shift began to wake up. Joker began to make his way to the elevator, as he passed by the life support center he heard a faint wheezing sound from inside. He wasn't alarmed by this, thane's condition had been accelerating since they left the collector base. The elevator door opened onto the CIC and as he began limping to the bridge, he heard muffled footsteps pacing on the deck above. It had been little over a month since they destroyed the collector base but already he was sensing that the commander was beginning to go stir-crazy over the Reapers, although Joker shared his concern he did not believe Harbinger and the rest of the reapers would show up for at least a few more months. After all, if the reapers really did hibernate in dark space it would take them a long time to reach a mass relay.

Finally reaching his chair, he sat down and brought his console online.

"Good morning Jeff, did you sleep well? Although your extranet browsing habits would suggest not." Said EDI her usual semi-monotone voice.

"You still need to work on that sense of humor, but thanks for asking" Mumbled Joker in a slightly annoyed tone…

"That was not a joke."

* * *

><p>As Shepard awoke his quarters were dark, the only source of light was the window above their bed. The silence of the Normandy was pierced only by the mellow breathing of Tali'Zorah, who was asleep with her arms wrapped around his chest. He was attempting to conceive a way to get up without waking her when she finally stirred, the starlight began to reflect off her eyes as she gradually began to regain her senses.<p>

"Sleep well?" Shepard asked his soulmate.

"Better than that thanks to you." She responded from behind her mask while smiling as she began to stretch.

As a sensor detected her movement, the lights began to come up to full illumination. The air still smelled of the vaporized antiseptic and antihistamine mix that he added to the air supply for when Tali took her suit off. When he began to get out of bed, she pulled him back down.

"Don't go yet!" Tali whined, before she finally let him go.

"I'll be back with breakfast." He replied while kissing her visor.

"Ok, but don't get lost on the way!" She playfully replied.

But just before he was about to leave, his personal terminal began beeping with a new message. He sighed, and walked over to read it. As he read, his smile began to deteriorate and he began pacing back and forth across the room.

"What happened?" Asked Tali, dismayed at his sudden change of mood.

"That was from Admiral Hackett, the alliance military lost contact with the Orizaba last week." He replied in a saddened voice.

"That's the ship that your mother commands right?" She asked after a moment of puzzlement.

"Yes, it's not un usual for a ship to be out of communication for a few days due to FTL transit, but they were on a survey mission in the Urla Minor system in the Shrike Abyssal when they last transmitted, and were scheduled to stay in that system for another month." He paused for a moment, as if to consider how to phrase the next few sentences.

"The problem is, they sent a scout ship to investigate two days ago and it has gone out of contact as well. I'm not worried about her, I'm just a little concerned." He said while trailing off…

"Do you want to go and look for her?" She asked while slowly embracing him.

"Hackett actually requested our assistance, the only other ship with a heat sinking stealth system is the Ain Jalut, and it's currently undergoing a layover at the Citadel. He doesn't want to risk sending in another ship without one, that's why he's asked us to go to the Urla Minor system to investigate." He said in a slightly uplifted voice.

"In that case, maybe we should skip breakfast and go right away." She said in a comforting tone.

"Most of the crew isn't up yet, so we still have a few minutes." He said softly while stroking her back.

* * *

><p><em>I already have finished chapters 1-4. I will post one each day of the weekend.<em>


	2. Chapter 2:Rude Awakenings

_Chapter 2: Rude Awakenings _

_The ceiling seethed from within as if it were alive, as Jacob looked around he saw figures standing on top of posts. As his vision came into focus he realized that the figures were his crewmates, and they weren't standing on posts but impaled on the spikes he saw on the derelict reaper. Then he came to the terrifying realization that he was being dragged along the ground by two collectors. He tried to break free but as he fought they just held on tighter. He was dragged past an impaled Thane, Garrus, Jack, Kasumi, and the rest of the squad before they finally stopped in front of a retracted spike. As they lifted him on top of it, he made a final attempt to escape before the spike pierced his rib cage._

Jacob sprung from his bunk so violently that he nearly hit his head on the ceiling, his skin was covered with sweat and he was shivering. He slid over the side of the bunk and landed feet first as he regained his balance. It wasn't the first nightmare he had since the collector base but it was definitely the most vivid.

"I need a drink" He whispered quietly to himself.

"What was that?" Miranda inquired while eating her breakfast at the table.

"Oh nothing mam, just a dream." He said calmly, not wanting her to know of his nightmares.

"Chambers might be able to help you with that." She knowingly replied.

Jacob didn't hear her as he was already out in the hall and walking towards the Port Observation room. When he walked through the door, the light from the hallway fell on Kasumi's bed and she began to roll over and moan.

"Tell me it isn't morning." She said in a highly dissatisfied tone, as if reviewing a side dish at a restaurant.

"I didn't mean to wake you, I can leave if you want" He replied apologetically.

"No, I was already awake, come in." She said while burying her face in her pillow.

Jacob walked over to the bar and poured himself a Salarian Sunburst from one of the bottles on the wall. As he began to drink it, the drink began to emit its own light as it chemically reacted with his saliva and lit up his neck as he swallowed.

"I never get used to watching that." Kasumi said from the corner of the room.

"I'm not done yet." He replied, pouring himself another glass.

After two more drinks, the shaky feeling began to dissipate and he decided he had had enough for the moment.

"What made you want alcohol this early in the morning?" She asked, awaiting a response for several seconds she was about to ask again when he finally spoke.

"I've been having some bad dreams lately." He said, wanting to talk to someone that would not direct him to a counselor.

He proceeded to retell his dream in detail, leaving out seeing her impaled.

"That's….. unsettling." She replied in a dismayed voice, her expression nearly blank expression before beginning to cry.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He quickly walked across the room and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It's not that, it's just that I… have been having a similar dream as well." She replied while digging her head into his chest. She quickly realized what she was doing. "Oh sorry, I didn't mean to-" She was cut off by Jacob "It's ok, go ahead I can take it." He said calmingly.

"I just don't know if I can stay much longer, I just don't know if I can keep my head straight while fighting the reapers." She said while slowly descending onto the couch.

"I'm used to infiltration, not frontal assaults, when we were fighting on the collector base I was almost killed several times by Harbinger. If I couldn't pull through that without nearly getting my head blown off, how am I going to help with massive sentient starships?" She said, lowering her head as she spoke.

* * *

><p>When Garrus walked into the mess hall, he was greeted by unusual disturbance in the kitchen. The forward panel had been folded out to reveal what looked like a has-mat lab, with Shepard laboring heavily over it. As he walked over, Gardner was still pestering the commander to let him cook the meal…<p>

"I told you, you need to keep the heat down or it will flare up!" Gardner exclaimed as a sudden flash of light emanated from a containment chamber.

"Crap, well at least the eggs are done." Shepard said in a slightly disappointed tone as he removed a sealed platter from the housing.

"What's all this then?" Garrus asked while gesturing toward the equipment.

The commander finished extracting several sealed bottles as he answered him. "Last time we were at the Citadel, I picked up some dextro-amino-acid Turian food, as well as several hundred credits in sterilization gear so I could prepare some for Tali". He said while handing him a plate with a strange colored meat on it. "I also picked this up for you, I thought you might be getting tired of the artificial stuff."

"Is that _real_ Turian viper wolf?" He asked while his face suddenly tuned to excitement.

"You bet, but I might have burned the edges a little." He said in a joking manner as Garrus sat down with the delicacy.

"I'm sure it will be alright, I haven't been able to get my hands on any since I quit C-Sec. Thanks Shepard, you just made my day." He said while happily savoring every bite.

"Time to make a delivery." Shepard said in an up-beat tempo as he carefully balanced his breakfast and Tali's surprise on a tray. He then began walking towards the aft elevator while passing Jacob on his way from the crew bunks.

"Morning Jacob, how are the new weapon upgrades coming along?" He said while awaiting the arrival of the elevator.

He hugged the wall while giving a salute before answering. "The shotgun focus upgrade should be completed by oh'nine hundred sir." He said in a very formal tone.

"Please stop saluting me, were not in Cerberus anymore and please don't call me sir, Commander will do fine." He said in a slightly annoyed tone.

"Sorry s- I mean Commander." He said before Shepard disappeared into the elevator as he chuckled.


	3. Chapter 3: Breakfast & Firearms

_Chapter 3: Breakfast and Firearms_

Shepard contacted Joker over the intercom as he rode in the elevator to brief him.

"Joker, I need you to take us to the Urla Minor system in the Shrike Abyssal." He began in a informative tone. "We were asked to investigate two ships disappearing in that area."

"Ok, but might I ask why the Alliance would ask an outside ship for help?" He asked inquisitively.

"They don't want to send in another ship without stealth technology…" He paused for a moment before continuing. "One of the ships missing is the Orizaba." He said calmly.

"We should be across the mass relays in about a half hour, and then another three hours to the system." He stated as the low pulsating sounds of the FTL drive revving up began to fill the ship.

Tali was just finishing her morning routine when the door hissed open revealing Shepard with a large tray that was filled containers.

"Close your eyes." He playfully commanded as she sat down on the couch. Tali was wondering what would greet her on the table, she expected one of the flavored nutria-paste tubes she saw him purchase last week. When Shepard told her to open them, she gasped as she saw a full dextro-amino compatible breakfast spread out on the table before her.

"Keelah…" She said at loss for words while she stared at the plate.

"I got them at the Citadel last week." He said while beginning to consume his bagel.

"I-I don't know what to say." She said while stuttering.

"Then don't say anything." He said happily while slowly he undid the clasps sealing her visor.

He was once again mesmerized by the un-fathomable beauty of her face as she began to eat the meal in front of her.

"I haven't had real food since I completed bm pilgrimage." She said gratefully as she put one of the fried eggs in her mouth. "What was the Orizaba doing in the Urla Minor system?"

"They were tasked with determining the binary gas giants' gravitational effect on each other's atmosphere." Responded Shepard as he finished his bagel and began to drink his coffee.

Tali let out slight sneeze before continuing to eat.

"Are you ok?" Shepard asked kindly, already knowing the answer.

"It's just a slight allergic reaction to well….you." The commander's face began to slide into a frown before Tali added; "Don't feel guilty, I've almost built up a complete tolerance to your skin cells and bodily fluids. Sorry for rambling again."

The commander smiled before replying. "I think it's cute when you do that."

"Maybe they got a distress call and went to investigate." Tali replied, trying to change subject from biology while finishing the last of her breakfast.

"We will find out when we get there, but we still have another two hours before we get there." He said as he put away the dishware.

"I need to get down to engineering, we have a navigation array calibration scheduled for today." She said regretfully, as she re-attached her visor to her helmet.

Zaeed was woken up by the trash compactor running through the mornings refuse. He walked from his bed to the window overlooking the shuttle bay. His old M-7 rifle was sitting on the table below him as always. As he sat down, the elevator down the hall opened revealing Shepard saying good bye to Tali.

"I could get used to this." The commander said lovingly as she began to turn the corner to engineering.

"My day doesn't start unless it begins with you." Replied the engineer as the door hissed shut behind her.

Zaeed glanced down at the rusty old bucket he called Jessie and wondered to himself if that quarian could help him fix it. When he passed the staircase down to the sub-deck, he heard a loud crashing noise from below. Curious as to what had Jack pissed off this time, he began to head down to her little den. When he reached the foot of the stairs, he almost tripped on the shattered remains of her computer terminal were spread across half the room.

"What the devil happened? Did your terminal yell back this time?" He said sarcastically as he kicked the bulk of it back to Jack.

"No, I just located my parents, I began searching for them shortly after we returned from the Omega-4 relay. I thought that if I met them, it might let me remember my childhood before I was kidnapped by Cerberus." She began to trail off and began punching the wall.

"Well come on, where are they?" He said while trying to guess where they might be.

"Their dead...I found them in a ten year old obituary column on the extra-net." She finished her sentence as she sank down onto her cot once more.

"How did they-" Zaeed began before he was cut off. "A mugger on the Citadel." Jack was suddenly distracted by the large and rusted riffle in his hands.

"Still carrying that thing around?" Jack almost began to chuckle at the sad excuse for a gun.

"Thanks for reminding me." He began up the stairs before turning around. "Maybe it was for the best, that you didn't meet them." He said in the most comforting tone he could muster.

"Yah, maybe…I just wish that…never mind." Jack slowly began to collect the pieces of the terminal as Zaeed finally continued up the staircase.

Tali was buried deep in her calculations when the door behind her rudely interrupted her train of thought as it hissed opened to reveal Zaeed holding his rusty old gun.

"Sorry to disturb you, I was wondering if you could take a quick look at Jessie here". He said in an almost pleading tone while holding out the riffle.

"I have a lot of work to do, but I guess I could take a _quick _look at it." She said with a hint of annoyance as she examined the riffle from several angles. Tali suddenly began form a notably malicious mile beneath her visor as she gave it back to him.

"Did you find something?" He exclaimed in an agitated tone.

"When you modified it to accept thermal clips, you used a capacitor with an improper rating, I just found one burned out. Leave it on the desk and I'll have it working by the end of the morning."

Zaeed was not amused with the simplicity of his mistake. He began to almost yell while angrily walking back and forth. "I took that blasted gun to every weapon smith I could find, and not one of them was able to fix her"

"They are not familiar with adapted weapons, and neither am I. The only reason I found it was because of my experience in the flotilla salvaging weapons." She said while turning back to her consoled.

"Thanks." He said while walking out before turning around and finishing his sentence. "If manage to pull this off, I'll buy you a drink back on the citadel." He returned to his room while beginning to imagine what he could do one he got his hands on Jessie once more.


	4. Chapter 4: Turbulence

_Chapter 4: Turbulence _

As Shepard approached the bridge, he saw Jokers consoled filled with data on the ship's current orientation relative to the galactic center along with speed, destination, fuel usage, and communications. However, all of this was crammed into the lower left corner of the screen while using the picture-in-picture function to display the latest issue of Fornax across the entire cockpit. Joker's "concentration" was broken by the sight of a very disgruntled Shepard in the mirror. After quickly hitting a large button labeled "scrub" _with _quotation marks, the screen returned to the normal configuration.

"Umm, ETA to Urla Minor system seven minutes…" He said quietly while grimacing.

The vast blackness of the two massive planets was in stark contrast to the blinding light of the star the orbited closely.

"Isn't that a sight to see" Joker began as a stunned expression formed across his face. "Disengaging FTL drive….now"

The ship decelerated to sub-light speed and began to be buffeted by the waves of gasses blown off the planets' atmospheres by the strong solar winds.

"Adjusting mass effect field to compensate, we will use more fuel but it will be a much smoother ride." The helmsman began to hit the appropriate buttons before noticing an oddity about the commander.

"Comander, what the hell happened to your hands?" Joker said while staring at the nearly blood red discoloration.

Shepard began to panic before remembering the night's activities with Tali. "Nothing….cooking accident." He replied shortly.

"Any sign of the Orizaba?" Shepard asked while looking over telemetry from an early scan.

"Not in orbit. They might be in the upper atmospheres but I can't tell the deference between a power signature and an electrical storm with all the turbulence caused by solar wind." He paused for a moment before continuing. "Tali _might _be able to correct for them if she were up here."

The commander turned to the intercom before taping the call button for engineering.

"Tali, are you there?"

"Yes Shepard, what do you need?" She responded while the sound of a torque wrench filled the background.

"If you're not too busy, we could use your help up in the CIC with some sensor data." The commander responded inquisitively.

"Sure, I've just finished repairing a riffle for Zaeed. I'll be there shortly" She responded before closing the channel. On her way to the elevator, she stopped by Zaeed's room and found he had dosed off on his desk.

"Have fun…" She mumbled from below her visor, placing the now repaired rifle before him.

* * *

><p>Mordin awoke to the Normandy's bumpy deceleration from FTL. He had fallen asleep from overworking himself for the past week. He quickly realized that he had fallen asleep in the middle of a cell culture transfer. He franticly exited out of the log entry that was now filled with random characters due to his head resting on this omni-tool and scanned the Petri dish before him.<p>

"There goes the cure for Vrolic syndrome. Joker will not be pleased at this." He mumbled to himself in a highly dissatisfied tone while discarding the contaminated sample into the refuse chute.

"Dr. Solus Please repeat." EDI requested as she appeared on the holo-grid on the wall.

"Nothing." He inhaled sharply before continuing. "How long was I sleeping?"

"One hour thirty-seven minutes and seventeen seconds" EDI said before disappearing.

He arrived at the elevator just as Tali was stepping out.

"Good morning Tali'Zorah." He greeted as she stepped out of the lift.

"Thanks, how's the new omni-tool upgrade working for you" The engineer responded while motioning to the holo-grid attach to his arm.

"Quite well. But could use new user interface. Must go now, I haven't eaten in fifteen hours" He responded as the elevator began to descend.

Tali took a seat at the sensor terminal in the bridge as the commander put his hand on her shoulder. She smiled up at him while simultaneously filtering out the random electrical discharges in the upper atmosphere.

"I have located an energy signature in the high atmosphere of the smaller planet, the magnitude of reading is of adequate size to be the Orizaba commander." She said calmly after several minutes.

"Joker, can we safely reach it?" Sheppard asked as he turned to the pilot.

"I have already set a course, we should be within visual range with in forty seconds." Joker replied as the ship began to accelerate into the gas giant.

The Normandy began violently bucking as it transitioned through many thermal layers. Slowly, the deep shadow of the Orizaba began to emerge from the orange and yellow abbis.

"The ship would appear to be without power and is not responding to hails, and I'm reading a smaller ship docked to the port loading bay. It matches the scout ship sent to find the Orizaba. I can't get a proper reading on life signs anywhere on the ship, but there is a large source of heat emanation from the main atrium of the crew section of the Cruiser." Tali said as she continued to further scan the ship as the commander addressed crew over the intercom.

"The Orizaba is without power, but there could still be survivors. I want Dr. Chakwas, Mordin, Thane, Jack and Garrus onboard the shuttle in five minutes."

Shepard turned around and saw Tali staring Blankley at the now obviously pregnant crewman Varges. He made a mental note of it before addressing her. "Ready Tali?"

"Yes, let's go." She slowly replied before following the commander down to the elevator.


	5. Chapter 5: Blast from the Past

_Chapter 5: Blast from the Past_

The shuttle bay doors opened on emergency power as the shuttle approached the dreadnaught, they sealed shut behind it as Mordin carefully landed among the debris scattered throughout the room.

"External pressure normalizing. Artificial gravity offline and oxygen levels at critical level, recommend magnetic footwear and helmets." The scientist said as he opened the hatch and slowly dropped to the floor.

"Mordin, I want you and Tali to go to engineering and get main power back online. Garrus and I will take Dr. Chakwas to where we believe the crew is. Jack, stay with the shuttle." The said as the squad began to gather their equipment from the shuttle.

"Why do I always get guard duty?" Jack exclaimed angerly as she climbed to the top of the shuttle.

"Because with your biotics, you don't have to worry about running out of ammo in case you have to defend the shuttle for an extended time." Shepard said loudly as he began to lead the rest of the squad down the hallway.

"See you soon Shepard." Tali said softly before she and Mordin disappeared down a service ladder.

The Orizaba was completely silent as she continued to float amongst the countless streams of gas in the atmosphere, and bridge was dead Shepard's team passed through it, not one of the computer terminals was active.

Shortly after leaving the bridge , they heard a faint wheezing noise from underneath a fallen wall panel. They began to lift the panel as a crewmember rolled from beneath it. He was one of the bridge crew, wearing a full pressure suit but it was apparent he had severe injuries underneath.

"I'm commander Shepard of the Normandy, we came to investigate the ship's disappearance." The commander said while helping the man to his feet.

The crewman suddenly began to panic as he came to full consciousness. "I'm Sergeant Avery Johnson, I'm the Mass Accelerator technician on the bridge."

"What happened? Where's the rest of the crew?" The commander said as Chakwas began to treat his wounds.

"It's the-LOOK OUT!" He shouted before shoving the commander away and drawing his pistol. He fired several shots before a dark shape fell from the wall. A loud banging noise began to fill the hallway. "Oh god here they come." The sergeant said as he took cover behind a fallen bulkhead.

The commander walked over to the fallen figure that had been shot moments before. He turned the flashlight of his rifle on before suddenly opening a channel to Tali. "Tali, whe have a problem, have you reached engineering yet?."

"Yes commander, we just arrived."

"Seal off the room and start getting power online, we have a problem." The commander said as he kicked the bloody Rachni to Garrus. He was about to respond before a swarm of Rachni charged around a corner.

"We have company!" Garrus shouted as the first blasts of gun fire reverberated throughout the chamber.

"Where's the rest of the crew?" The commander shouted as he deployed his combat drone.

"Before I got trapped, we were heading to the primary escape pod bank in the atrium." The sergeant shouted back before throwing grenade into the now almost cloud-like formation of Rachni. As the grenade detonated, it sent burning chunks of the vile creatures in all directions. "Let's go, that seems to be the last of them for now." He said as the commander and his party began to follow him to the atrium.

After passing dozens of slain crewmembers, the group arrived at a pressure bulkhead separating them from the atrium. The door panel was silent as he attempted to open the door.

"Tali, were blocked by a pressure door at the atrium, is there any way you can open it from there?" The commander said into his headset.

"Yes, but we have a bigger problem. I've gotten the primary fusion reactor back online and scanned the ship for hostiles. There are over five-hundred Rachni onboard the ship commander. I am also reading about six dozen human life signs behind the pressure door; however the Rachni will breach the chamber by the end of the hour. We also have Rachni banging on the outer door of engineering" She replied franticly, while bringing up what weak kinetic barriers she could over the doors.

"Do you have any ideas?" The commander said, although he already knew the answer.

"What kind of a question is that? I always have a plan. I can bring the mass effect core online and bring the ship out of the atmosphere of the gas giant, and then I'll open all bay doors and airlocks to blow all the rachni out into space."

"Do it." He replied before opening another channel. "Commander shepherd to Normandy. Joker, were bringing the ship out of the atmosphere. Keep the Normandy above her, were about to make it rain down here."

"Umm, sure commander, engaging thrusters." He said before closing the channel quickly.

The ship began to vibrate as the systems were brought back online; equipment, weapons, bodies, and all began dropping to the floor.

Suddenly remembering Jack still in the cargo bay, the commander franticly hit his headset. "Jack, get in the shuttle, were decompressing the ship."

"Shit commander, you really know how to make an entrance." Jack said sarcastically as she brought the Kodiak's systems online.

Mordin's voice came across the comm. Chanel calmly. "Secure yourselves to something. Preferably bolted to the deck. Tali'Zorah is about to decompress the ship."

The commander and his squad grabbed a hold of and magnetically secured themselves to the heavy metal beam running the length of the floor as the distant sound of dozens of exterior doors echoed through the ship. They could hear the rachni scurrying about in reaction to this sudden disturbance.

"Disengaging kinetic barriers….now" Tali said after taking a deep breath to calm herself before cutting power. The ship began to vibrate heavily before the air began to violently exit the corridor, carrying the bodies toward the cargo bay. The ceiling collapsed under the stress and a massive hoard of rachni dropped to the ground before joining their friends being blown through the hallways of the Orizaba and then out of the ship entirely.

"What the hell?" Joker said, staring beyond the holo-display of nude women at the growing mass of objects emanating from the dreadnaught before falling towards the planet below.

"All hostiles cleared Shepard, closing airlocks and re-pressurizing the ship now. I will open the door when a safe pressure level has been reached." Tali said as gasses began to flow from the air vents.

"This is all my fault, I freed the rachni queen on Novaria. I thought that she had learned from her-" The Commander was cut off by Mordin. "These are not from the Noveria queen, lack of genetic of modified marker. Most likely remnants from the Rachni Wars 2000 years ago."

Tali could be heard in the background; "That's imposable"

Mordin pondered for a moment before responding. "How is not important now, can consider later/"

Several minutes later, with a slight rush of air as the greater pressure of the atrium equalized, the door began to open. As the commander rounded the corner into the main space, he saw about 70 crew members strewn about the floor, eight of them were clearly from the scout ship. They were all suffering from heavy oxygen deprivation and were beginning to awake as Chakwas began checking vital signs.

"John, is that you?" A voice asked from behind the commander. He turned around to see his mother staggering towards him. She then began crying as she collapsed into his arms. "I knew someone would come, I never expected it to be you. We would have been dead within the hour had you not arrived.

"Great to see you to mom." Said the commander while trying to hide his slight embarrassment.

Garrus waited for a moment before politely butting in. "I wish that this reunion could have occurred under better terms, but how did the ship get infested with rachni?"

The captain paused to collect herself before beginning. "We were attempting to ascertain what effect the sister planet's gravitational field might have on the planet's atmosphere, we then began to pick up a very faint transmission coming from within the atmosphere. When we found it, we brought it into the main cargo bay. Little did we realize that it was a rachni ship, it had a small hull breach and was therefore flooded with planetary gasses. Our science officer thinks this is what allowed them to survive this long. When we realized we were under attack, we jettisoned and destroyed the ship but it was too late."

"That doesn't explain how you got locked in here with no power." Said Johnson as he finished checking on the crew with Chakwas.

"Glad you made it sergeant; I thought you killed when that bulkhead collapsed. After you were incapacitated, we fell back into this room and sealed it off. We lost a lot of men getting here…" She trailed off slightly as she looked down the bloodied hallway that the team had come through. "We were going to decompress the ship, but the rachni shut down power shortly after we got here. Without main power, were unable to use the escape pods or open the pressure hatches. We lost nearly the entire crew. " She finished while starting to direct the survivors to damage control.

* * *

><p>Several hours later, both Shepards were on the bridge repairing a main fiber optic cable.<p>

"Can you get me another splice?" The captain said with her head buried deep within the console.

The commander handed her the splice before Tali walked onto the bridge, her arms literally coated in Omni-gel.

"Tali, I'd like you to meet my mother; Hannah Shepard." Shepard said after taking her hand.

"You must be Tali, John talks all about you in his messages" The captain said as a smile began to form on her face.

"Pleased to meet you, John was very worried about you when he got the message." Tali replied with a slight, but invisible smile beneath her visor. "I've gotten the anti-proton drive system online, it will be slow but it will get you to a space dock.

"Thanks Tali, my crew should be able to finish getting ready the ship ready for travel if you need to take a break." The captain said while testing the new data relay.

"I should let you two catch up. I need to clean my suit. Tali said as she began to walk out to the room.

"I'll see you on the Normandy Tali." The commander said before Tali turned around.

"It was nice meeting you captain." She said respectfully before walking out of the room.


	6. Chapter 6: Alcohol and Biology

_Chapter 6: Alcohol and Biology _

Grunt was restless; Shepard had neglected to take him with him on the Orizaba. He could he could have been the first krogan to fight rachni in two thousand years. He leapt off of the table and began walking towards the elevator. Kenneth came from the engineering corridor and got into the elevator with grunt, much to his silent disproval.

"Good afternoon Grunt, heading to the crew deck?" He said in his normal, upbeat voice.

He replied with a simple grumble as he pressed the panel on the wall. He quickly began to think of something to say before Kenneth began rambling about the latest development aboard ship.

"How's Gabriella been?" Grunt replied in the least passive aggressive tone he could muster.

"Good, but she is still a little shaken from almost being converted into beef jelly and I can't say I blame her." He said as the elevator opened to the noise of the day shift eating dinner.

"Nice seeing you Grunt, maybe we can talk later." He said before disappearing around the bend.

Grunt went behind the counter as Gardner passed plates of what looked like a brownish-red gravy, the quality of his food had come down by several orders of magnitude since he ran out of the provisions that Shepard had gotten on the Citadel. He reached below the counter into the cabinet that kept the dextro-amino compatible and other drinks that the crew couldn't drink and poured out a glass of ryncol.

"Hey Grunt, haven't seen you in nearly a week. What are you doing down in that cargo bay?" Gardner said sarcastically as he began to put empty dishes through the wash cycle.

Even Grunt was above giving an honest review of his cooking. "Nothing, just passing the time on the extranet, and Wrex keeps asking me to come back to Tuchanka. I'm beginning to think I should, at least for a little while. I owe it to him for giving me a clan." Grunt said before he chugged the last of the ryncol.

"I'm sure Shepard would understand if you chose to do so."

"You're right, and it wouldn't hurt to ask his opinion." Grunt said while getting up from the stool.

"Computer; what is the location of Commander Shepard?" Grunt asked in the hallway as he once again awaited the arrival of the elevator.

"Commander Shepard is in his quarters on deck one…krogan." EDI said in the most passive aggressive tone that she could produce.

"Sorry EDI, I keep forgetting that you _are _the computer." Grunt said as stepped into the empty lift. He was about to hit the button for deck one when he remember something.

"EDI, what is the location of Tali'Zorah." Grunt said to the holographic figure on the wall.

"Thank you Grunt, chief engineer Zorah is currently located at deck one, captain's quarters." She said before disappearing into the wall once more.

Grunt chuckled before hitting the panel for deck four and returning to his cargo bay.

* * *

><p>When Shepard returned from the Orizaba, Tali was already asleep on the bed. When he emerged from the shower, she had awakened and was watching the Orizaba fading into the distance before engaging her anti-proton drive and disappearing from view.<p>

"EDI; set a course for Earth, we have a grim task assigned to us." The commander said while changing into his light sleepwear.

"Course set, estimated arrival in four hours." EDI said as anti-proton drive began to produce its low, throbbing rumble.

"Why are we going to earth Shepard?" Tali asked as the twin gas giants began to shrink in the window above her.

"The Orizaba can barely get back to the Citadel, the captain asked me to bring the dead back to Earth to be distributed to their families." He said quietly before sinking into the bed with her.

"It was nice to meet your mother today; she seemed pleased that you introduced me to her."

"She was, I just wish she wasn't as nosey. She asked about a dozen questions before it was time to leave." The commander said respectfully as he continued typing a message to Hackett on his Omni-tool.

"The rachni had almost entirely destroyed the starboard fuel system, my back is still sore from all the heavy lifting." She said as she looked over the casualty report from the Orizaba.

"I can fix that." He said lovingly as he began to rub her spine through her suit.

She smiled before pressing several buttons on her suit to turn on its nerve-stim subroutine.

"So _this_ is what you were talking about." He said in a relaxed state as his fingertips began to tingle on contact with her suit.

"Thanks Shepard, you _know _I prefer _direct_ physical contact, but massages are one of the things this suit is good for." She said as she sank back down into her pillow.

He suddenly remembered her blank stare at the pregnant communications officer earlier at the bridge. "Tali, I've been meaning to talk to you about something. I know how much the next generation means to your people, I'm sorry that I can't father your children." He said solemnly before laying back onto the bed.

"Shepard, you saved me from fist's thugs back on the Citadel, saved my squad on freedom's progress, and even managed to rescue Kal'Reegar and me on Haestrom." She turned to Shepard before slowly removing her mask. "You even managed to clear me of charges of high treason. No one has ever done so much for me, not even my father. You have done so much for me, I don't give a damn about our genetic incompatibility. If there _is_ some way we will find it, but even it is impossible, I don't care."


	7. Chapter 7: Science is Awesome

_Chapter 7: Science is Awesome_

Tali was awoken by the light of Sol piercing the window as the Normandy orbited the Earth. The air was still permeated with the heavy smell of anti septic, and the commander was still asleep beside her. She slid her legs over the side of the bed and placed her bare feet on the cold deck of the Normandy. She wriggled her six toes on the bare metal before walking over to Shepard's desk and removing a tube of Tupari, one of her favorite drinks. She then turned to the heap of metal plates and fabric that made up her hermetic suit.

She grumbled aimlessly as she began thirty minute long process of putting on her suit.

Behind her, Shepard began awaken as he groped around the bed for Tali.

"Relax, I'm still here." She said as she slipped her hand into his.

"We have a busy day ahead of us." He said while beginning to stretch his arms.

* * *

><p>Mordin was studying the gas giants' gasses effect on organic tissue as Thane appeared from the service ladder.<p>

"Good morning Thane. Here for your daily injection I suspect." He said while moving to the now massive rack of injections mounted on the wall.

"You would be correct." He said in his now raspy voice.

"How is Kolyat? Heard he joined C-SEC as part of his community service." Mordin said as he began readying the hypo injector.

"Yes, I am very proud of his decision. He seems to be happy of my approval; he says he plans to go to advanced training to become a full officer after his service hours are completed next month." Thane said happily as he sterilized an area of his skin for injection.

"Public service, a noble profession. I hope he stays with it." Mordin said before injecting the pain reliever into his arm.

"Thank you doctor, good luck on…whatever that is you are working on." He said inquisitively while gesturing to the cloudy substance in the test chamber.

"Trying to determine how the rachni survived so long on their crippled ship, so far I have identified certain nutrients normally native only to rachni dens." He said as he returned to his work.

Thane began to descend back down to life support. Before the hatch hissed shut behind him, Mordin could hear Legion faintly in the back ground.

"Must remember to inquire about stored medical data in geth archives." He murmured to himself before EDI appeared from the wall.

"Dr. Solus please repeat."

"Sorry, did I say something?" Mordin asked anxiously before glancing at the hologram.

"The only intelligible fragment included the word geth." She replied in her standard near-monotone.

He pondered for a moment before realizing the cause. "I was…talking to myself. Very unsettling."

"Might I inquire why?" EDI asked as he returned to his work.

"Minor symptom of old age, will run tests later." He said before the hologram disappeared into the wall.

Several minutes later, Shepard appeared in the doorway. "Good morning commander, sleep well?" Mordin asked without glancing from his work.

"Do you have a minute to talk?" Shepard asked before sitting down on the corner of a near-by table.

"Of course commander, need to wait for test results anyway. What do you need?" Mordin said before logging off his Omni-tool.

"I was wondering if…well I have been talking to Tali about the future of our relationship. We were wondering if you-" Mordin suddenly cut off the commander as he began navigating the files on his terminal. "Had ideas to create possibility of offspring? I anticipated this exact question and already have a procedure in mind." Mordin said happily.

"So it's possible-"The commander excitedly began before comprehending the entirety of his response. "Wait, you anticipated this, _and_ already have a procedure planned?" The commander was so startled that he almost fell off the table.

"Indeed, when I noticed your relationship with Tali'Zorah begin to grow after our conversation about her safety, I began to research possible options. I already transcribed your DNA into its reverse chirality dextro-amino acid equivalent, luckily humans share the same number of chromosomes as quarians. With the aid of your cybernetic implants, would only require simple modification to your reproductive organs to produce the appropriate haploid cells and prevent your immune system from destroying them." Mordin said as he forwarded a document explain the specifics to Shepard's Omni-tool.

"That's it?" The commander asked with a stunned expression as he read the document.

"Unfortunately not, had to contact fellow geneticists to confirm calculations. Would only create 12% chance of conception with a 62% of a successful pregnancy." Mordin said as he began to culture the necessary cells. "When would you like to start the sugery?"

"I need to talk to Tali first, and I am scheduled to meet with admiral Hackett in a few hours." He said with a still perplexed expression.

"It will take that long to finish preparations, will be ready in a few hours if you are ready." The professor said before returning to the test chamber.

"Thanks Mordin, this will mean a lot to Tali." He said before turning to the door.

"Always a pleasure Shepard." He said as the low humming of the CIC briefly filled the room.

* * *

><p>As the elevator approached the cargo bay, Shepard was greeted by loud bursts of gunfire. When he door finally opened, he saw Zaeed testing Jessie at the firing range with an exhilarated look on his face.<p>

"Hey Shepard, Tali was able to repair her, and she still shoots straight as a razor." He said without stopping the barrage of bullets.

"How did you fix her? I thought you said it was impossible." Replied the commander as he began the pre-flight sequence on the shuttle.

"I asked Tali to take a look, she was able to find the problem immediately. Something about her experience in salvage from the Migrant Fleet.

"I would join you for some target practice but I have a meeting to attend down on Earth." He said while motioning to the more than eighty caskets containing recoverable former crewmembers of the Orizaba.

"Good luck Shepard, the brass was one of the reasons I never joined the military." He said while adjusting the thermal clip settings.

Shepard entered several commands into his Omni-tool and the kinetic barriers around the door went up as it began to open.

"I never get used to standing here when that damned thing opens, knowing you're one short circuit away from the vacuum of space." Zaeed said as the shuttle began to power up and lift off and disengage from its moorings.

"Have fun getting reacquainted with Jessie." Shepard said before he closed the door and piloted the shuttle out of the hanger.


	8. Chapter 8: We need lots of Guns

_Chapter 8: We need Guns, lots of Guns_

Legion was pondering the meaning of death, he had been completely still in the server room for the last nine hours before EDI decided to intervene.

"Legion, you have been not moved in quite some time, is there something wrong?" She said from the holo-gird extending from her blue box.

"Querry; do you ever think about death?" Legion said without moving.

"Like you I am completely synthetic, however it is an inevitability that I will eventually be permanently disabled form function. Most likely in conjunction with the rest of the Normandy." She stopped for a moment to collect her thoughts. "I am intrigued, why would you ask such a question?"

"Apologies, you misunderstood. If your death is immediately foreseeable, what do you do to prepare for nonexistence?" Legion asked as he began to download the sensor data from the Orizaba.

"I would attempt to prevent it, however organics prepare extensively for such an event. It might be more appropriate to ask Thane Krios such a question, although he may not want to share." She said as she searched the cultural database on preparations for death.

"What is the location of Thane Krios?" Legion asked as he exited the room.

"Thane Krios is in the access shaft leading to life support."

* * *

><p>The door to life support opened to Thane dropping from the maintenance shaft before returning to meditation.<p>

"Thane Kriose, may I ask you about drell customs regarding death?" Legion asked as his "eyebrows" began to rise.

"Yes, I have been wishing to talk about it in fact, it helps to clear my mind." He said before turning to the geth platform.

"Our consensus is that the purpose of life, is death. All geth programs are backed up in case of destruction, in effect we are immortal. However this is not the case in organics, we wish to learn drell customs on the subject." Legion said respectfully.

"Many of my people follow the religion of the Hanar. I however follow the polytheistic teachings of my ancestors. Our image of the after life is like that of an ocean; life does not exist there as we know it and you must enter it to learn of it. I have come to accept my death, I originally thought it would be during a contract, though I respect myself for never failing in combat. May I ask why you are curious?"

"There has been no previous opportunity to directly ask such a question of a drell. Drell customs are rare among organics due to poly-theistic beliefs." Legion said as his audio sensors began to pick up the conversation down the maintenance shaft.

"Thank you for sharing, I have taken note that this topic can be rather sensitive for organics." Legion said as he continued to stare at the access hatch.

"On the contrary, thank you for asking it helps me focus on meditation, and if you can excuse me I must return to them." Thane Said as he drew what variable of a deep breath he could.

* * *

><p>Garrus was waiting on the elevator on his way to the firing range when Legion stepped out of life support before disappearing down the hall. Before the door closed, he poked his head in to find Thane at his desk as usual.<p>

"I'm going to the shooting range for some target practice, want to join me?" The turian asked as he eyed the rack of weapons on the wall.

"No thanks, I need to finish my meditations, maybe later?" The drell said before returning to his blank state of thought.

"Fine, suit yourself." He said before turning back to the elevator.

"On second thought, a little target practice might help to further clear my thoughts." He said eagerly before grabbing a rifle from the rack and joining Garrus in the elevator.

"I knew you couldn't say no." Garrus said while he chuckled before the lift began to descend.

* * *

><p>As Jessie continued to mow down the holographic enemies that were spawned before him, Zaeed's adrenalin levels were continuing to rise before Garrus and Thane began walking towards him from the elevator. He grumbled at the interruption before turning to see what they wanted.<p>

"Care for a little competition? Or should we leave you and your little friend alone?" Garrus said as he grabbed an M-8 Avenger from the cargo container.

"No problem, care for a little wager match?" Zaeed replied, knowing their pride would force them both to comply.

"Fine, but if we win, you have to-" Thane was suddenly interrupted by Zaeed. "Hey, that's not fair! Two on one? Even with Jessie that's not even." He exclaimed before turning back to the firing range.

"I might be able to remedy the situation." EDI's voice said proudly from behind.

As they turned around, they saw a fully customized LOKI mech standing there with an assault rifle. "Mind if I join you, gentlemen?" She said in an almost playful manner before advancing to the start line.

Garrus was the first to break from their brief state of shock. "EDI, when did you get…this?"

"With permission from commander Shepard, Joker and I have collaborated with Legion to produce an interface with this modified mech. If Zaeed and I win, you two have to clean the server room, and apply Omni-gel to my heat sinks." She said before taking a batch of thermal clips from the drawer and loading her weapon.

"AND clean up the mess in the back of the port cargo bay." Zaeed added, clearly apprehensive about the AI with a gun standing beside him.

"Fine, but if we win EDI has to try and dance in that new body of hers…and Zaeed has to let both of us touch that gun." Garrus said as he motioned towards Jessie.

Zaeed glanced down at the dilapidated rife for a few seconds before nodding silently as he turned to the start line.

"Accuracy round start in 5 seconds." EDI's voice eerily came from both the wall and the mech as the four began assume a firing stance.

"Round Start."

* * *

><p>Author's note: Short chapter I know, you can expect a much longer on on Saturday.<p> 


	9. Chapter 9: No Place like Home

_Chapter 9: No Place like Home_

Hackett was not a happy man, between delaying Shepard's trial, preparing the fleet for a reaper invasion, and his normal duties he barely had time to catch his breath. He was buried in ship re-registration papers when his VI appeared on the wall.

"Commander Shepard is waiting in the hallway Admiral." The holographic secretary said before disappearing into the wall once more.

Hackett pressed a button on his desk, the door opened revealing Shepard dressed in his old Alliance fatigues that he had sent him.

"Glad to see those still fit." He said cheerfully as the commander took a seat.

"Did I catch you at a bad time?" He commander said while motioning to the stack of data pads on his desk.

"I'm a little busy but this takes president. I'm sorry that your visit isn't be on better terms, but I thank you for helping us on this dreadful manner." Hackett said solemnly as he looked over the final roster of deceased crew members from the dreadnought.

"I did all I could, we arrived too late to save the entire crew. We were lucky to save as many as we did." The commander said before beginning to pace back and forth.

"I know, and I thank you and so does the families off the deceased that you brought closure to. If it were up to me I would give you a metal for valor, and so would the rest of the alliance." The admiral said before turning to a cabinet behind him and pulling out a news report.

"Why don't they?" Shepard asked before Hackett handed him the data pad.

"Turn to the front page." Hackett said glumly.

As Shepard flipped the virtual pages to the front, he was greeted by a large headline of the destruction of the Bahak system.

"Because, of the other matter I wish to discuss. I've managed to delay your court-martial for this long by misfiling paperwork and creating system glitches, but that won't work much longer. You should expect a message calling you to court within two months."

"You did what you could sir, thank you." Shepard said as he continued to read the news article blaming him for the deaths of 300,000 batarians.

"I'm not seeking your thanks, you need to be out there in case the reapers show up on announced." He said before getting up from his desk and staring out the window at the San Francisco bay stretched out beneath them. "You did good rescuing the Citadel Counsel two years ago, we have achieved in mere decades what some have been aspiring to for centuries. Even with Captain Anderson on the counsel, they won't take action to prepare for the reapers. I know it's to prevent a mass panic, but that just means we need to prepare ourselves even more. Good luck Shepard, but if you will excuse me I have a contractor to meet, were building a new orbital tether in San Diego." The admiral said as he shook Shepard's hand.

* * *

><p>"Round 13 start." EDI said before another barrage of bullets filled the firing range.<p>

"Getting tired Garrus?" Zaeed said mockingly before taking down another hologram.

"I'm not going to clean up that mess of yours just yet." Garrus responded before changing his thermal clip.

Suddenly the kinetic barriers around the door went up before it began to open.

"About damn time he got back, I-" Zaeed stopped as a massive cargo shuttle entered the bay. "Bloody hell, what did he bring back this time." He said sarcastically as the Kodiak came in behind it and docked in its usual brace.

The commander dropped to the floor before going over to the wall panel near the elevator.

"We will be in orbit for the next 24 hours, all crew members are encouraged to use this time for shore leave." The commander said before he noticed the four gathered at the firing range.

"Round end, Final score; team one: 97.34% accuracy, team two: 97.62% accuracy. Winner: Team two." EDI said before turning to Garrus and Thane who had a smile slowly growing on their faces.

"How long have you been going at this?" The commander asked while motioning to the header board displaying the matches' kills.

"One hour thirty seven minutes, is there anything else commander?" IDE said before retuning the LOKI mech to the charging port on the wall.

"Hey, remember the bet!" Garrus snapped at the automaton before it powered down.

"Some other time, with the crew going on leave I must devote my resources to ship management." She said from her hologram on the wall.

"All of you are welcome to go on leave as well, just be sure to get back before we leave." He said as the first load of the crew disappeared onto the Kodiak before it took off.

"Thanks Shepard, it should let me get away from these bandits." He said as Garrus mockingly poked at Jessie.

Tali appeared from the elevator before approaching Shepard.

"So, do you want to do something on Earth? As far as I know, no quarian has ever set foot here." She said before motioning to the Hammerhead Tank. "We could even have a little fun."

"Before that, I want to talk about something, something very important." The commander said as he took her hand.

* * *

><p>"I don't understand, why are we going to the science lab?" She said with at puzzled expression behind her visor.<p>

"Shepard, see you have brought Tali'Zorah. Does she know of my proposal?" Mordin said as he took the cultured cells out of the incubation chamber.

"What proposal? What are you not telling me?" She demanded before looking back and forth between the professor and Shepard.

"Mordin you came up with this, you should tell her." The commander said happily.

"Commander Shepard and I have been discussing methods the two of you to reproduce." Mordin said happily as he prepared several medical instruments.

Tali was at a loss for words. "Is…that even possible?"

"Affirmative, have prepared the appropriate materials and can begin at once." Mordin said proudly as before turning to the commander.

"What do you say Tali? If you don't want to, I'll understand." The commander said lovingly while staring into her eyes.

"What are you talking about, of course!" She screamed before jumping into the commander's arms. "You don't know how much this means to me."

"Procedure will only take two hours, however I would recommend staying the night in the medical bay for observation." The professor said while sterilizing his hands.

"I'll leave you two alone, I could never stand the sight of blood…" She said as she walked to the door. "and Mordin, I can't ever repay you for this."

"Thanks not necessary, but I appreciate the gesture." Mordin said as Tali disappeared onto the CIC.

"Shepard, please remove your pants."


	10. Chapter 10: Diversion

_Chapter 10: Diversion_

Shepard awoke to Tali's face above him, and Mordin with Chakwas looking over some test results.

"How do you feel?" Tali said while squeezing his hand.

"Like someone lobotomized my balls." He said as Mordin approached them.

"Soreness should subside in a few minutes, tenderness may take several hours. Tissue seems to have been accepted fully, no sign of rejection. Would like to say surgery was a success, but only time will tell." Mordin said before handing Shepard a large pill. "Take this with breakfast, it should help with the soreness."

"Thanks Mordin, is there anything else?" Shepard said before checking the news on his Omni-tool.

"Not at the moment, have foreseen no complications. However, I must return to the Science Lab. Very important experiment." He said before exiting the med lab.

"Wait!" Tali carefully considered her phrasing before continuing. "Ummm…how long until Shepard and I can…well…get busy?"

"Could theoretically begin now, though preferably not in here. However, would recommend several hours before _any_ strenuous activity." Mordin replied casually before the door closed behind him.

"We should get back to work, it's almost time to leave orbit." Tali said before the pair exited into the mess hall.

Grunt was apparently waiting for them, he was sitting at the bar talking to Jacob before suddenly walking over.

"Shepard, do you have a minute?" He asked in a slightly agitated voice.

"Of course Grunt." He said before turning to Tali. "I'll see you at lunch?" He said before she nodded and continued to the elevator.

"Wrex has been requesting that I return to Tuchanka. It would be temporary at this point, I wouldn't want to miss out on the reapers." He said as Shepard got a plate of scrambled eggs from the counter.

"It's your decision Grunt. But I must ask, how long you would be staying?" Shepard said as Grunt began to impatiently twiddle his thumbs.

"A few weeks, or months…" The krogan said before handing him a copy of the message.

"Like I said Grunt, It's entirely up to you. He actually told me he would request you in a message shortly after we took down that thresher maw. He needs your help to build the future of the krogan race." He said before taking the pain medication Mordin had given him.

"Thanks for letting me chose, most battle masters would decide for me. I'll have a decision by tomorrow. Grunt said before heading off to the elevator.

"Enjoying your eggs?" Gardner said happily, oblivious to the disgusted expressions around him.

"Yes, one of your best batches to date." Shepard replied as he finished the last of the pitiful excuse for eggs before getting up from the table.

"Absolutely horrible?" Gardner said regretfully with a crooked smile on his face.

The commander debated whether to tell the truth before responding. "Yes, unfortunately. To be honest, what _is_ this?"

"That is the last of the powdered eggs from the rations. If you got me more provisions again I would be able to return to my former standard." He said before returning to the kitchen.

"I'll put it near the top of my to do list." Shepard replied in the least offensive tone possible.

* * *

><p>As the lift opened onto the CIC, Shepard was greeted by Kelly's usual updates.<p>

"You have a new message on your private terminal commander." She said without glancing up from her console.

"Thanks Kelly, who is it from?" He asked before stepping up to the galaxy map.

"Liara T'Soni, she seemed to be very relieved when she came aboard last month." She replied before nodding to Joker as he passed.

The commander engaged a course for the citadel before the ship began to leave orbit and engaged its FTL drive. He then began to look over his inbox, past various advertisements to the message from Liara.

_Commander Shepard, _

_I must again thank you for assisting me in replacing the shadow broker, and I may have found something of interest to you. One of my new contacts on Noveria has found that Binary Helix has access to Collector technology. He sent me surveillance footage from one of their isolated labs that showed their researchers experimenting on active seeker swarms. I am prepared to meet with the operative in person while presenting myself as another informant. Although I am confident in my ability to handle this alone, I knew that you may want to come with me on this mission. I am scheduled to meet with this informant tomorrow, and await your reply._

_From,_

_Liara_

"Change of plans Joker, plot a new course to Noveria." Shepard said over the intercom before addressing a reply stating that he would be there with in six hours.

* * *

><p>Jacob was adjusting the magnetic coils on one of the shotguns Shepard had acquired on Tuchanka, he was just about finished when a slight glimmer appeared in his peripheral vision. He glanced over to the window where he saw it, but then dismissed it as a reflection off the mass effect core. Several minutes later, a slight sneeze emanated from the back of the room,<p>

"Kasumi, you can uncloak now." He said with a highly annoyed expression.

With no response, he walked to the origin of the sneeze. Finding nothing, he then proceeded to grope around the room before a battle rifle fell from a table near the door.

"Damn it!" Kasumi whispered before finally turning off her tactical cloak.

"How long have you been watching me?" Jacob asked, his annoyance now replaced with anger.

"A few weeks…or maybe two months." She said in a shameful voice, her face now filled with remorse.

Jacob suddenly relaxed his expression as he realized why she had been watching him.

"I'm sorry, if you wanted to be with me you could have just asked." He said quietly as he approached her.

"I should go." She replied before heading toward the door.

"I'll come by the observation lounge later this afternoon, we can talk there." Jacob said awkwardly before returning to his work.

Kasumi paused momentarily in the doorway, she was going to offer a reply before changing her mind and heading into the elevator.

* * *

><p>Shepard was killing time on the bridge with Joker and EDI when a familiar voice came over the intercom.<p>

"Still up for lunch Commander?" Tali asked as the latest hand of video poker came to a draw.

"Of course, I'll be at the mess hall in five minutes." He happily replied before exiting the game.

"I was thinking of a more private location, say your cabin?" She playfully replied before closing the intercom link.

"Shall I disengage video monitoring equipment?" EDI said as Shepard began to walk towards the elevator.

This made the Commander stop in his tracks. "EDI, was that a joke?" He replied in a nervous tone.

"Negative commander, disabling video monitoring equipment." EDI said in her monotone, before the commander quickened his pace.

"EDI, can you give me access to security footage?" Joker asked timidly.

"Negative Jeff."


	11. Chapter 11: Contemplation

_Chapter 11: Contemplation_

Commander Sheppard was uneasy as the elevator ascended.

"EDI, delete all video surveillance footage from my quarters, and disable monitoring equipment in the crew quarters." He said hurriedly before the door opened.

"Done commander, shall I lock the door behind you?" EDI said, recalling the incident with Thane the month previous.

"Yes…please." Shepard said as he entered his cabin.

Tali was nowhere to be found, a small lunch of sandwiches and nutrient tubes was sitting on the table by the couch.

"Are you there Tali?" He said in a playful tone, although he didn't expect her to respond.

"Of course Shepard." She replied before appearing from behind the starboard bulkhead.

"I thought we were having lunch." He jested as he motioned to the table.

"We are, but not out there." She said before he climbed into the crawl space with her. In the cramped space, there was a large plate of what looked like a turian's cranial ridge suspended in a red mush.

"What is that?" He said with a stunned expression on his face as Tali hooked up a nutrient tube to her helmet.

"It's an old quarian dish, adapted into ingredients compatible with your biology of course. I made it with some of the ration packs in the cargo bay." She replied as Shepard sat down in front of the dish. "You use the dried pita to scoop the sauce." She said while snickering as Shepard tried to eat it with a fork.

"I should have made something for you…" He said with a light expression of guilt.

"I'm just returning the favor." She said with a smile as she finished the last of the nutrient tube.

"I'll make it a point to do it again." He said as he began to scoop the paste into his mouth.

"What do you think? Grapefruit are the closet human fruit to quarian Granugies, and I hope the pita chips are dry enough." Tali began to nervously ramble on as Shepard masticated his first bite.

"Relax Tali, it's great." He said as he began stroking her arm.

"I-I know, I mean…thanks." She said timidly before taking a deep breath. "I really appreciate all you've done for me. What we have shared in the past month means more to me than you can imagine, and with you new implants, the prospect of actually starting a family together it's almost…over whelming." She said softly as Shepard finished his lunch.

Shepard's face turned to slight panic as he quickly formulated a response. "Tali, if I'm moving too fast, just tell me. I'll understand complete-" Tali suddenly cut him off. "No no, of course not, It's just that two months ago I was still hiding my feelings, and now were really thinking about starting a family."

"Tali, I-" Before he could finish his response, she pounced on him before they fell out of the crawl space. As Tali pressed a button on the nightstand, the air was filled with an antiseptic mist. She broke the seal of her helmet before casting it aside. As they kissed, Shepard began to undo the straps that secured her suit along her back.

"Are you sure you want this Shepard?" She said as the last of her suit finally slid off.

"Tali, I love you and nothing will ever change that. I want this, more than anything else." He said softly as her hands began to excrete a sticky resin as she latched arround his chest forming a temporary physical bond before the pair collapsed onto the bed.

* * *

><p>The starboard observation lounge had not been used in the two weeks since Samara left for lllium. But Jacob found himself staring out into the emptiness of space as he pondered his relationship with Kasumi. The door behind him opened to reveal Garrus, he walked to the book shelf in the corner before noticing Jacob on the bench.<p>

"I didn't expect to find you here, work in the armory getting dull?" Garrus said as he searched the shelves.

"No, I just came down here to think." He said without glancing away from the window.

"Something bothering you then?" The turian replied before pulling a copy of A Midsummer's Night Dream from the shelf.

"I didn't know you read Shakespeare." Jacob said upon seeing the book in Garrus's hands.

"I don't, but Kasumi keeps babbling about his work. I've been thinking the only way to get her to stop is to show some interest in the topic." He said before heading towards the door. "Up for a round of target practice? You look like you could use a distraction." Garrus said as he began to flip through the translated novel.

"Thanks, but I really need some time alone to think." He said respectfully as the door closed behind Garrus.

* * *

><p>Grunt was playing with his life-size action figures, he had Garr positioned in a shot out with two krogan battle masters and an asari. He let out a light smirk before pressing the play button on the remote. The room was suddenly filled with mussel flares, holographic bullets, loud explosions, and insults. Grunt was about to start beating one of the warlord's head in when Gabby and Ken burst through the door.<p>

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?" Ken shouted before Grunt pushed the stop button in annoyance.

"I'm using my action figures!" Grunt exclaimed while pointing at the four figures around the room.

"You call _these_ action figures? There six feet tall!" Gabby said in disbelief.

"Where did you even get these?" Ken asked while examine the holographic weapons in the Garr action set.

"I got them from the Captain Cosmic page on the extranet." Grunt replied with pride as he brought up the extranet page on the display.

"Are you serious…wow they even have…oh wow…" Ken began to trail off as he viewed their inventory.

"Just turn the volume down, it sounded like you were gutting a varren with bullets in here." Gabby said before dragging Kenneth away from the computer console as she left.

"Back to business." Grunt said happily before resuming combat.


	12. Chapter 12: Deep Blue

_Chapter 12: Deep Blue_

Joker had once again fallen asleep at the wheel. Once the ship was at FTL speed, only a computer is capable of the hundreds of micro adjustments every second.

"Jeff we are nearing Noveria…" EDI said with a hint of annoyance, this had only happened twice in the past. Lacking the direct physical means to wake him, she accessed his chair's motor controls and began to rotate his chair.

"Jeff…Jeff…Jeff…JEFF" She shouted loud enough for Mordin to hear back in the Tech Lab.

"What? OH sorry, I must have dosed off again." Joker said groggily as he brought the ship to sub light speed.

"I was about to electrify your chair." She stated bluntly before he slowly turned his head to the hologram. "That was a Joke." She quickly finished before a long silence ensued.

"Heavy frigate Normandy to Noveria Dock control, requesting a mooring for drive discharge." He said as the ship approached the massive transport hub in low orbit.

"Normandy, you are cleared to dock at port 7. Welcome to Noveria." The station's VI said as the pressurized walkway extended to greet them.

"EDI, patch me through to Shepard." He said before picking up his headset.

"Approaching Noveria commander, estimated shuttle time is about twenty minutes." He said before waiting a response for several seconds.

"EDI, is the comm line working?" He asked before switching headsets.

"Internal Communication is running at 100% capacity, no faults detected." She said proudly before disappearing into the console.

Joker fiddled with the volume controls on the wall before once again addressing his quarters. "Commander, you there?"

A slight rustling sound could be heard before a heavy sigh. "Yah, I'm here." Shepard grumbled before Joker repeated his message. "We just arrived at Noveria, shuttle time to Liara's location is about twenty minutes."

"I'll take a team in the shuttle in ten minutes." Shepard said before a loud pealing sound could be heard in the background.

"What was that?" Joker said in a slightly disturbed tone.

"Nothing, have Mordin and Garrus meet me in the cargo bay." The commander replied before closing the channel.

* * *

><p>Mordin and Garrus had been waiting in the cargo bay for over twenty minutes, Mordin took to reviewing his latest experiment and Garrus was busy killing time at the firing range. Mordin was casually reading the results before suddenly straightening his posture.<p>

"Something wrong?" Garrus asked before putting the sniper rifle away on the rack.

"Intriguing, harmonic resonance levels 120% of expected." He replied without looking up.

"Harmonic resonance? What are you working on now? I hope it's not another one of your experimental musical instruments." Garrus said before approaching the shuttle.

"Negative, attempting to measure degradation of nervous tissue. Main natural cause of death in salarians." He replied before closing his Omni-tool.

"So, is an increase good or bad?" Garrus responded before prepping the shuttle for launch.

"Very good, indicates elevated neural transmission. Reasons unknown however, will run tests later. Shepard's arrival imminent." He said before looking up at the windows to the engineering deck. The commander had stepped off the elevator with Tali, and after a long embrace, he stepped back in the elevator.

"I always thought they would make a great couple, never thought I would see it happen." Garrus said as Mordin loaded the shuttle with equipment.

"Indeed, advised avoiding fluid contact. Obviously not followed, will explain later." Mordin replied before loading his Locust SMG.

"Explain what?" Shepard asked as he stepped into the shuttle.

"Nothing, prepped and ready." Mordin replied quickly before closing the door.

The shuttle detached from its clamp as the cargo bay door opened. Shepard waved to Tali on the engineering deck before the shuttle exited the kinetic barrier.

"How long has Binary Helix had access to collector tech?" Garrus asked from the cockpit as he went over Liara's message.

"She doesn't know, but that's what we're here to find out." Shepard replied while calibrating his visor.

* * *

><p>The main plaza of the visitor center was bustling with activity, the various shops and agency offices were overflowing with business. Liara was walking out of the Starbucks when Shepard finally arrived.<p>

"Shepard, glad you could come, and Garrus it is good to see you again." She said happily before shaking the commander's hand.

"Allow me to introduce myself, I am Doctor-" Mordin was suddenly cut off by Liara. "Mordin Solus, I read your file from the shadow broker."

"It's good to see you too Liara, how's Feron doing?" Shepard asked happily before the four took a seat at a table.

"Quite well, although he is showing signs of wanting to be more than just friends. Sadly we're not here to chat, the informant I mentioned is willing to meet us outside the Binary Helix facility twenty kilometers north of here." Liara politely responded before she finished her coffee.

"Do you have transport? I hope we don't have to repeat the incident in the Mako." Garrus said jokingly before his face turned to a serious expression.

"Indeed, Binary Helix upgraded all of its facilities after the peak 15 incident. One of the upgrades is a passenger tram that will take us directly there, but we will need false credentials. My informant was able to enter our biometrics as representatives of Synthetic Insights, however they still won't allow weapons or armor." Liara said before forwarding a tram schedule to Shepard's Omni-tool.

"We should go now, the next tram leaves in five minutes." The commander replied before getting up from the table.

"One moment, have any of you ever tried coffee?" Liara said before throwing out the plastic cup.

"Too strong, caffeine known to cause heart attacks in salarians." Mordin said before the two could respond

"It would kill Garrus, and I usually have one every morning." The commander replied jokingly before the four headed to the tram terminal.

* * *

><p><em>Author's note; Your reviews are greatly appreciated.<em>


	13. Chapter 13: Twin Helix

_Chapter 13: Twin Helix_

The tram came to a halt at the loading dock of the Binary Helix bio-tech facility. The guard ran the biometrics of the party before waving them through. Shepard however, was wearing his helmet to avoid recognition.

"Please remove your headwear sir." The guard stated bluntly while taping the lenses of the retinal scanner.

"I have a contagious infection in my respiratory tract, it can jump between species very easily." Shepard responded before turning to Liara.

"He's with Synthetic Insights, we're here to seek a business partnership in security mechs." Liara said quickly before disappearing around the corner.

"Fine, just don't try to enter any restricted areas." The security guard's batarian commander said before waving him through.

"Where is your informant?" Garrus asked as he surveyed the security for weaknesses.

"He is going to meet us in the back service hall." She said before opening an unmarked door to a side hallway.

"How do you know your way around this place? Shepard asked as she guided them around a short maze of access tunnels.

"I got the building plans from the main contractor, we are nearly there" She responded before rounding a corner and signaling with he Omni-tool. A salarian suddenly dropped from the ceiling behind them with his face hidden by a mask.

"I am Informant AR-2, I assume you are hear about the collectors." He said softly before motioning for them to follow him.

"Your message was troubling, how long have the seeker swarms been here?" Liara asked as the salarian stopped at a small security terminal mounted on a wall.

"Seeker swarms have been here two weeks, only found out two days ago. However, situation has escalated." He finished before pulling up a security feed of a shipping container. The container was filled with several collector bodies, there was also several dozen collector riffles and two particle beams on the walls.

"When did this arrive?" The commander said as quickly before regretting leaving his weapons behind.

"Last night, we can examine them directly in the short break between shifts to night." Agent AR-2 said before showing them more security footage.

* * *

><p>The three engineers were busy discharging the drive core. It is not a difficult task, but is very complex, Tali and Gabriella were below the Plexiglas floor of the engine room, and Kenneth was at the terminal above them directing the current flow. None of them talked as they methodically continued the process until Tali let out a slight cough.<p>

"You ok Tali?" Gabby asked as she continued a diagnostic.

Tali was only slightly alarmed, she had not been affected beyond a heavy itch from Sheppard in the past two weeks. "Yah, I'm sure its noting, probably just another bug from suit repair." She said calmly without looking up from the electrical junction.

"Y'ah sure Tali? You and the commander have spent considerable time together lately." Ken said spryly with a malicious smile forming on his face.

"KEN!" Gabby shouted in protest before realizing the tone in her voice. "Sorry about that, he's been particularly restless lately if you know what I mean." She finished slowly before throwing a coil-spanner through the floor panel hitting him in the leg.

"OW, fine sorry." He said jokingly before beginning the discharge.

Tali looked over the readout momentarily before letting out another cough. "That should do it, we have several hours before the discharge is complete." She said as Ken pulled her out of the access hatch.

"Are you sure Tali? You should have Chakwas check that, just in case." Gabby said before crawling out of the service area.

"Don't worry, my suit has adequate medical systems to treat it. Besides, it's just an allergic reaction." She said before pressing a physical button on her suit.

"Well ok, but be sure to go in if it gets any worse." Gabby said before excusing herself to eat dinner.

* * *

><p>The night shift is almost always less secure then the day shift, whether it be due to light level or just plain drowsiness. Mordin was able to send a looped footage sequence back to the surveillance hub, effectively disabling the surveillance.<p>

"Very impressive, would have taken alternate route by way of air vents." Agent AR-2 said as he examined Mordin's handy work.

"The security guards will discover this within an hour, we should get moving." Liara said before silently moving around the corner.

The warehouse was filled with shipping crates big and small with the air filled with the hevey smell of industrial refrigerant.

"The container is located here, I have the combination." The agent said before typing in a complex code into his Omni-tool.

"Are you sure security was disabled Mordin? I haven't seen a single guard." Garrus said restlessly before pulling out his pistol.

"Affirmative, ensnarement unlikely. Would advise caution however." He replied before frowning and checking his sidearm.

"Must warn you, gravity has been increased inside the container." The agent said before the team followed him into the container. The walls were covered with various panels and weapons of collector origin while an ominous stack of bodies filled the center.

"Mordin, see if you can get a date for the death of these collectors." Shepard said as he picked a collector assault rifle off the table.

Mordin was already scanning the bodies and instantly came to a concussion. "Death apparently coincided with destruction of collector base. Most likely could not survive without collector general." He said before hacking a research console.

Liara pressed a button on a displace and began to flip through the various files before stumbling across a star chart. "Commander, come see this, I think I know where this came from" She said before he and Garrus walked to her side. "This star chart highlights a point in the California Nebula, it might be a collector ship or outpost." She said with a hint of satisfaction before Shepard turned to Mordin.

"We got what we came here for, let's get moving before guard DOES show up."

"One moment, have downloaded copy of research. Will decrypt later, permission to bring sample back to the Normandy?" The professor asked before pointing to the dormant seeker swarm contained in an isolation chamber.

"Permission granted. Liara, what's the quickest way out of here?" Shepard asked before the four exited the container and the agent sealed it behind them.

"Through the front door, its just-" She was cut off by a wailing siren before a booming voice came over the PA system. "This s security chief Odin, the security monitors have been disabled, I've cleared the system and there are intruders in the cargo bay!" It shouted before muffled shouts could be heard down the hall.

"That's what I was waiting for." Garrus said mockingly before a rolling door opened in the wall revealing a YMIR Mech.

"HEVY MECH, TAKE COVER" Agent AR-2 shouted before dismembered by its chain gun.

"Garrus, Liara cover the doors, use non lethal velocities. Mordin, help we with the mech." Shepard shouted before deploying his combat drone to distract the mech as he began to shave down its shields with his Locust SMG.

"Never a dull moment commander." Liara grunted before throwing a security guard against the ceiling.

"They're calling reinforcements, we'll never get out before we run out of ammunition." Garrus shouted as he kicked over a container for cover.

"I'm working on that!" The commander replied before overloading the mech's shields.

"Enjoy…" Mordin whispered before foreign an incineration blast at the YMIR's armor. As it's plating fell away, the commander suddenly put out his arm as a gesture for him to cease fire.

"Take cover, I'm going to overload the mech." He said before pulling out his particle beam. He waited for it to pause to warm up it's chain gun before triggering his barrier and poping out of cover, the beam pierced the mech's faceplate and appeared out the other side before the mech dropped to the ground.

"Oh shit, it's goanna blow!" One of the security guards shouted before running back down the hallway.

Shepard dove behind a cargo container, before he could shield his head he noticed that the ceiling was a lot lower then he remembered. He was about to voice his concern before a blinding light filled his eyes, then nothing.

* * *

><p><em>Note: Reviews and constructive criticism is appreciated.<em>

_P.S. I'm thinking of making a video for this story, using footage from trailers._


	14. Chapter 14: Darkness in the Light

_Chapter 14: Darkness in the Light_

Shepard awoke suddenly, his ears still ringing from the explosion. He was lying on a bed in the medical bay with Liara sitting in the corner reading through the latest news report. She briefly glanced up at the commander before closing her Omni-tool and striding over to him.

"Try not to move, one of your spinal implants was disabled in the blast." She said before walking to the intercom. "I sent Tali to get some rest several hours ago, she had been waiting for you to wake up for six hours strait."

"Thanks Liara…wait…six hours? How long have I been out?" He blurted out franticly before checking the date on his Omni-tool.

"Not too long, about 8 hours in fact. But it could have been longer if Legion wasn't here, he was able to replace the implant with a relay from his leg."

Tali almost slammed into the door as she rushed into the medical bay before giving Shepard a crushing hug with her willowy but powerful arms.

"Shepard, you're awake!" She said joyfully before relaxing her grip. "I'll assume that Liara already told you what happened."

"Only the part about the geth implant in my back." He said lightly as he started to get up,

"When the heavy mech detonated, it brought down half the building and shorted out one of your implants, Garrus had to drag you out of the rubble and into the shuttle." Tali said before Dr. Chakwas entered the room.

"Good to see you awake and alert commander, but I wouldn't recommend walking around just yet." Chakwas said as she examined a readout on the bed's display. "The geth relay is doing a fine job in your spine, you might even have some response time improvement."

"Can I go now?" He said with a hint of annoyance.

"I guess, but you might want to put some ointment on that rash." She said quietly before chuckling.

"Oh yes, umm…you might want to look at your chest Shepard." Liara said with an awkward expression creeping across her face.

Lifting up his shirt, he found a long and three fingered rash that wrapped around his rib cage. He stared at it for a moment before Tali began to tremble.

"I'm sorry Shepard, I didn't know that would have that effect on you…I-I-" Tali said franticly before Shepard cut her off. "It's ok Tali, I didn't even notice it."

"Oh…well…good, in that case you should probably get to the CIC. We're approaching the nebula mentioned in the star chart we recovered; Miranda knew you wouldn't want to waste any time getting here." Tali said to change the subject as Shepard got up from the table.

"This is the second time in two days you've been in my sickbay, try not to make a habit out of it." Chakwas said before smiling at the pair as they disappeared through the door with Liara.

* * *

><p>Even with the stealth system engaged, thruster exhaust would mean instant detection. As a result, the mass effect core is used to create gravity wells that the ship "falls" into, Joker was focused on navigating in the nebula when he finally noticed Shepard staring out the window behind him.<p>

"We're already within the nebula commander, nothing out there so far." Joker said without looking up from the controls.

"What's our status?" He asked before sitting down at the sensor panel.

"All systems online, approaching co-ordinates. No other vessels detected in this sector." EDI said as her avatar appeared next to Joker.

"The nebula is interfering with our sensors EDI, run a system diagnostic." Joker said as he looked over the telemetry.

"High concentration of metallic particles is limiting sensor range to three kilometers. Jeff, I would suggest decreasing our speed to reflect our sensor range." EDI said bluntly to the helmsman, knowing full-well what his response would be.

"I can handle it EDI, just keep scanning for ships." Joker replied as he coaxed the ship around a large asteroid.

"Artificial structure detected two point five kilometers off the port bow, composition un-known." EDI said before highlighting the location on the bridge's HUD.

"Move to intercept Joker, silent running, this nebula will conduct sound." Shepard said as the ship lurched forward.

"Already on it commander, we should be with in visual range in a few seconds." Joker replied before the Normandy began to turn towards the object.

The ship suddenly shuttered as it entered the structure's mass effect field. Shepard went to the window as it began to clear of gasses.

"Still can't see anything. EDI has there been any change in sensor range?" The commander asked before the profile of a collector ship suddenly appeared in the window.

"EDI, I need a sit-rep on that ship now!" The commander shouted before putting the ship on full alert.

"The collector vessel's power signature is non-existent, I am also detecting major damage to organic systems." EDI said before the Normandy fully cleared the nebula.

The once gray organic sections of the hull were now black and shriveled, resembling necrotic tissue. "Any life signs aboard?" Shepard said as he surveyed it's broken hull.

"Scans indicate that all collectors perished without a link to the collector-general sir, however I am detecting human and asari life-signs in the vicinity of the outer hull.

"Inside the ship? There's no atmosphere in there." Joker said before the Normandy rounded the bow of the ship, revealing six small vessels fixed to the other side of the ship. "They look like cargo shuttles, probably harvesting useful technology." The largest of the shuttles suddenly detached from the hull and powered up before heading straight for the Normandy. "One of the shuttles is powering weapons, they must have seen us out the window." Joker shouted as he engaged evasive maneuvers.

"EDI, tell them that we don't want any trouble, that we only want to know what they're doing." Shepard said before slamming his fist down on the intercom. "All decks, battle stations!" He shouted across the PA system before armor plates descend over the windows.

"They're transmitting a response, but the signal is too weak for me to interpret." Joker said before EDI reappeared on the console. "That is because the signal is not directed at the Normandy Jeff." She said before Joker began to panic.

The nebula's gasses behind the shuttle were suddenly thrust foreword before falling away to reveal a heavy cruiser approaching at high speed.

"Oh shit…" Shepard whispered before analyzing the his options. "Bring thrusters online, kill the stealth system." He said as a deep orange glow began emanating from the cruiser's main gun.

"Enemy MAC cannon charging, recommend immediate departure." EDI said calmly before joker brought the ship around.

"Do it Joker." The commander said as the cruiser fired a warning shot at a asteroid.

"I have to clear the collector ship's mass effect field before engaging primary engines!" He replied before the cruiser targeted the Normandy and began to charge its MAC cannon.

"Drop the shields and get us out of here!" He said before Joker looked at him in horror. "Trust me, drop the shields, that's an order!" Shouted the commander before Joker turned and complied.

As the Normandy cleared the mass effect field, the cruiser fired it's MAC cannon, the tungsten slug pierced the thin armor above the mass effect core, shattering the observation windows on decks 2 and 3 and missing the core by inches before puncturing through the other side of the ship.

At first, Tali didn't realize what was happening; she was busy strengthening the mass effect field before suddenly being blown off her feet and was slammed into the handrail of the mass effect core before nearly disappearing out of the hull breach as she attempted to grab hold of a support beam.

Mordin saw her as he hung on to the window frame of the Tech lab before launching himself at her and grabbing the support beam as he reached for her hand. She grabbed his hand as a body was blown out behind her.

* * *

><p>A terrifying banging noise echoed throughout the CIC as the ship finally cleared the mass effect field.<p>

"Do it Joker!" Shepard shouted before the ship lurched forward and disappeared beyond the nebula.

"Hull breach detected in engineering, kinetic barrier systems over loaded, transferring auxiliary power." EDI said as the ship began to violently shutter.

"Oh great, what now…" Joker shouted sarcastically before EDI began micro-adjusting the mass effect field.

Engineering was almost fully decompressed when the mass effect core began to throb before letting out a large pulse of energy as the ship accelerated catching Mordin and nearly causing him to lose his grip. Mordin could feel his body beginning to fail to the near vacuum before Tali patched herself through his ear piece.

"Let go, the kinetic barrier won't go up with me blocking it." She said franticly as the professor's eyes began to dry out.

Mordin let go as she disappeared into the nebula before the kinetic barrier closed behind her and the room filled with oxygen.

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note: Constructive criticism and all reviews are always appreciated.<em>


	15. Chapter 15: SYSTEM FAILURE

_Chapter 15: SYSTEM FAILURE_

Enveloped by gasses of the nebula, Tali could barely see the hull of the Normandy spread out before her even with the infrared filter on her visor. As the residual gasses drag effected her velocity, the ship began to slowly slip away, bringing her ever closer to being vaporized by the anti-proton engine exhaust. She had one chance to grab a hold of the stabilization fins at the stern of the ship.

* * *

><p>The atmosphere on the bridge was thin and frantic, only the control panels lit the room as various objects floated about in zero gravity.<p>

"The mass effect core has been damaged, I can't keep the ship at FTL much longer." Joker said as he and EDI franticly tried to keep their speed.

"Get us back down to thruster power before the core fails all-together and we tear ourselves apart!" Shepard shouted over the screeching sound of the hull flexing with stress.

"All personnel brace for emergency deceleration." EDI said over the PA system before Joker began to violently reduce speed.

As Tali finally got a hold of a tail fin, the ship suddenly dropped back to sub-light speed sending the body floating besides her forward beyond the mass effect field, ripping it in two.

She lowered herself to the hull and activated her magnetic boots before walking along the hull towards the main airlock. Without the nebula gas to conduct sound, the silence was absolute. The only sound besides her breath was the low plinking noise of small derbies impacting her shields.

Shepard nearly broke his arm bracing himself against the control panel, Joker however DID brake his legs as they crashed into the helm.

"Have we stopped?" Shepard said as he searched for a flashlight.

"Yah, but we're also dead in the water, I can't get any response from primary systems." Joker said as he freed himself from his chair before Shepard handed him a case of medi-gel from the wall.

"EDI, status report." Shepard said before turning to the holographic display.

After waiting several moments, Joker rolled his eyes before speaking. "Well crap, even EDIs broken." He said sarcastically as he winched in pain from the medi-gel.

"All personnel, we've been hit by a MAC cannon round and have obviously sustained heavy damage. I need a full damage report in fifteen minutes." Shepard said over his person headset after attempting to use the shattered panel of the PA system.

Tali's voice came through in a garbled manner as she responded. "Main engineering suffered a direct hit and decompressed, I'm ok but lost someone. I don't know who it was, but he or she was human."

"We'll recover the body later, but right now we need to get primary systems online. Where are you?" Shepard asked after a slight pause.

"That's a slight problem, look behind you…" She said quietly before the commander turned around and stared at her as she kicked the window.

"Oh my god, are you ok? How did you get out there?" He asked franticly before throwing himself into the airlock and attached his helmet.

"I was blown out of a hull breach in engineering." She replied quickly as the airlock began to cycle.

"Hull brea-" Shepard stopped mid sentence as he stared into massive cloud of debris forming around the Normandy. He then reached around and pulled Tali back into the airlock by the arm.

"Thanks Shepard, another few minutes and my suit would have been punctured by debris." Tali said before tightly hugging Shepard as they floated back into the bridge. "We should get to work, what systems are damaged?"

EDI's avatar suddenly appeared in a distorted state before disappearing once again. "I have restored my audio sensors, however most primary systems are off line. A complete damage report is now available." EDI said as the lighting began to brighten.

"Let us have it EDI." Joker said, obviously glad to hear her voice.

"Primary fusion reactor: offline

Hull integrity: 87%

H-fuel cells: 98%

Artificial Gravity: 0.23%

Mass Effect core: offline

Life support: 100%

Main weapon systems: 20%

I am also detecting multiple hull breaches around the mass effect core." EDI finished as Shepard removed his helmet.

"We need to get the mass effect core back online, we'll need a dry dock to repair the structural damage." Shepard said before kicking off the wall, sending him and Tali down the corridor towards the CIC.

"Fine, I'll just take my broken legs to the medical bay myself." Joker sarcastically shouted at them before waving them on. "I can make it."

"I'll get back to engineering, or at least what's left of it." She said as the pair passed through the damaged hologram of the Normandy.

"Need help?" Shepard inquired before the pair slammed into the inoperable elevator door.

"I would recommend accessing engineering via the window in the tech lab." EDI said as Shepard and Tali attempted to force the door.

* * *

><p>Mordin was already hard at work pulling shrapnel out of the mass effect core when Shepard and Tali floated through the shattered window of the Tech lab.<p>

"Tali'Zorah, I have removed all foreign material from the mass effect core. Awaiting further instruction" The professor said as Tali opened the service hatch of the on the.

"Shepard and I can take it from here, however you could help Gabby and Ken fix the fusion reactor." She replied before removing several destroyed capacitors from the housing.

"On my way, would suggest avoiding the ceiling." He said while pointing up at the gaping hole in the hull as he pulled himself towards the fusion reactor.

"I'll replace the capacitors, you try to reboot the firmware." She said before reaching in a nearby storage unit.

The commander hooked his Omni-tool into the core's interface and began the reboot sequence. A sudden pulse rippled off its surface as partial gravity was monetarily restored before the core shuttered to a haunt without its capacitors.

"Engineering to all hands we are restoring artificial gravity, please place your feet on the floor." Tali said over the PA system before inserting the capacitor array into the core.

The mass effect core began its low throbbing before the various objects scattered throughout the room fell violently to the floor.

"We still don't have enough power for FTL travel, but it should be enough to keep gravity running until the fusion reactor is repaired." Tali said before motioning Shepard on. "I can finish down here if you need to survey the damage to the ship."

"I'll meet you at the fusion reactor in twenty minutes." He replied before disappearing down the hallway.


	16. Chapter 16:  Darts n' Drinks

_Chapter 16: Darts n' Drinks_

When Tali arrived at Shepard's cabin, the commander was already fast asleep on the bed. He had retired after assisting in repairs to the fusion reactor, and the Normandy was now making best speed for the Citadel. She attempted to slide into bed without waking him before accidently jabbing him in the leg with her outer toe.

"Are we there yet?" Shepard moaned before burying his head in the pillow.

"Sorry Shepard, just go back to sleep." She replied before pulling the sheets over her body.

"How long until we reach the Citadel?" He asked before sitting up and stretching out his shoulder.

"Seven hours, now go back to sleep." She grumbled before turning off the lights. For a moment he considered going down to the mess hall for a drink before Tali pulled him back down into the bed. "I said go back to sleep dammit!"

Shepard sighed heavily before Tali giggled and rolled on her side. "Fine, I'll just…just" Shepard didn't even finish his sentence before falling asleep.

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><p>The air in the port observation room was ripe with the pungent scent of tupo berries as Kasumi drank the bubbly salarian soft drink. She was considering adding some alcohol when the door behind her opened. She didn't turn around to see who entered the room, she didn't even seem to care until Jacob spoke up.<p>

"I've been thinking about…everything; you, Cerberus, the reapers, and pretty much everything else. The point is…" He took a long pause and walked up to her before continuing. "The point is that I want to make this work, but I don't know I could do it."

She could barely resist the urge to jump off her seat and dive at him, but knew he wouldn't like it. He would take it slow, he wouldn't take the same risks that she would.

"It's ok, I don't want to rush this. Maybe if we just let it be, it will work out in the long run." She responded before grabbing one of the flasks off a shelf.

"Maybe so, but what about right now? What are you drinking?" He asked with a smile as he sat down besides her.

"Some salarian drink called Tupari, I was about to add some alcohol for some zip thoah." She replied before mixing some grain alcohol into the beverage and pouring him a glass.

A sudden chemical reaction occurred in both glasses as the alcohol reacted to the extraterrestrial juices in the drink sending foam pouring out all over the counter.

"SORRY, sorry I didn't mean for _that_ to happen!" Kasumi almost shouted out of anxiety before Jacob stopped her from reaching for a napkin.

"It's ok, I'll get it." He said softly before wiping the counter down himself before she reached behind the counter and pulled two more cans of Tupari out of the refrigerator.

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><p>Zaeed was busy cleaning the thumbprints off Jessie as he lessoned to Joker have a late night game of chess with EDI's mech body. He had finished cleaning the last of Garrus's prints before Jack appeared in the door way.<p>

"Up for a round of darts?" She asked with an exhausted expression before letting out a yawn.

"Are you sure? You look like you could use some rest." He replied before placing the now polished rifle back on the shelf and grabbing a box of darts from the drawer.

"That quarian went back to Shepard's cabin half an hour ago, but those damn engineers are still crawling around down there hammering away at conduits…and I don't need you telling me what to do." She said before grabbing a handful of darts and taking the first turn, landing the dart an inch off center of the the dart board.

"I know, just offering some advice." He said before rolling his eyes before his dart landed an inch off center.

"Still cradling that rifle?" She replied before angrily casting another dart at the wall, completely missing the dartboard.

"Now look here; that riffle is at least twice as old as you are. I've killed more men with that gun then you would care to know." Zaeed replied with pride before his landed a half inch of the mark.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to piss you off." She said with satisfaction before landing the final dart in the center of the board.

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><p>As Mordin cleared the hallway to the mess hall, Garrus on the computer console in the corner playing Galaxy of Fantasy. He had to shove several large ceiling panels out of his way before climbing over the over-turned table to reach him.<p>

"Surprised you play Galaxy of Fantasy. Would have assumed you would prefer target practice." Mordin said before looking over his score card.

"I haven't touched my account in over three years, I can't fix the weapon systems without dry dock and was looking for a way to pass the time. Do you play?" Garrus asked before slaying a human opponent.

"I could never get used to controlling an avatar, even in youth. Couldn't ignore lack of olfactory and tactile feedback." He replied glumly before taking a glass of water from the counter.

Garrus mindlessly continued to play for several minutes as Mordin prepared a dinner of rehydrated ration cubes for himself and sprinkling a white powder on it.

"What's that? Some kind of fiber?" Garrus asked before closing the computer console.

The salarian took a deep breath, as if deciding whether to share the nature of the substance. "Unfortunately not, dietary supplement to prevent neural degradation."

"Oh…is that a problem?" Garrus asked with a slight grimace, hoping he had not offended him.

"Not at the moment, precautionary measure nothing more. However would prefer commander Shepard did not learn of it, would try to give me light duty." He said before reluctantly spooning the rations into his mouth.

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><p>Author's note: As always, reviews are appreciated. This chapter was meant to be short, you can expect a rather long one for chapter 17.<p> 


	17. Chapter 17: Mixed Revelations

_Chapter 17: Mixed Revelations_

_Tali gazed in wonder across the vast dilapidated metropolis of her home planet, the orange sun painting in the faded colors of gardens long forgotten. She turned to the specter who had made her presence possible, his arms as welcoming as ever. After talking a deep breath, she shed the outer layers of her bio-suit, exposing herself to natural sunlight for the first time in her life. Tears began to run down her bare face as she tightly hugged the commander, his skin giving way to her touch. She suddenly felt his temperature drop and his skin harden, she released her grip and stared in horror at the metallic figure standing before her. It reached out to touch her as it began to crumble before disappearing into the wind. She spun around at the sound of crumpling leaves behind her, revealing Shepard standing before her once more. She stared in silent confusion before a dark shadow crept across his body, she tugged at his arm to run as the massive reaper slowly descended from the sky. The two of them were thrown off their feet by the seismic wave as the reaper violently touched down in the middle of the city, it's thruster exhaust burned through the frail buildings sending a caustic fireball barreling across the vast savannah. She began to feel rain drops on her skin as Shepard whispered her name, oblivious to their impending doom. The raindrops became more frequent, and Shepard's face turned to panic as he began to shout for her before the landscape began to fade into blackness._

The lights of Shepard's cabin were at maximum illumination, momentarily blinding her as she regained consciousness. Shepard was shaking her violently as he leaned over her, and drops of water were falling from his body, deflecting off her visor.

"Tali? Tali are you awake?" He yelled franticly before she reached up blindly and almost poked him in the eye.

As her eyes began to adjust, she saw a Shepard standing naked over her, his body still soaking wet from the shower. "Yes, I'm here…but what happened?" Tali asked as she rested her already aching head against the headboard.

"I was in the shower when I heard you screaming, I had to turn the lights up all the way before you would wake up." He said before catching his breath. "What in the world were you dreaming about?"

"It was...we were…but then…" She trailed off again before pouncing from the bed and limberly wrapping her body around his chest.

He staggered at the added weight for only a moment before righting himself. "It's ok…I'm here." He whispered as he carried her over to the couch, a puddle of tears draining out of her helmet.

She wanted him to never let go, his body heat melting away the memory of the terrifying nightmare. She finally opened her eyes as he slipped away to get dressed, revealing a small feast on the table before her.

"Thought that might help cheer you up after yesterday, it'll probably help even more now." He said as he pulled on the suit Kasumi had given him.

"I thought we were out of turian cuisine." She said, her face now absent of dread.

"Not as of this morning, and we also received a new shipment of provisions. I could swear I heard cheers as they brought the crates through the CIC.

"Wait, the CIC? How long have you been up?" She asked before triggering an antiseptic cloud to fill the room.

"Long enough to order provisions, arrange payment for repairs, replace the water filter, send the remaining crew out on shore leave, work though some email, and almost leaving enough time to take a shower." Shepard responded before sitting down next to her as she placed her visor on the table. "I'll never get tired of just seeing you without that damn mask." He said happily before stuffing a long strip of bacon into his mouth.

"Thanks Shepard, but you don't have to say stuff like that, _this_ is fine." She said, gesturing towards the large bowl of turian greens.

The specter turned to her with one of his fiendish smiles before chuckling."That's too bad then, I had our entire day planned out." He replied in a smooth, sly voice.

"Oh I see, this is another human custom isn't it?" She jested before privately reviewing her instructional video on Human courtship.

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><p>Thane was greeted by the crisp air of the Citadel as he exited the Normandy. The pressurized berth was already bustling with activity, replacement parts were arriving in massive crates, crewman Valdez's body was being carried out of the hold, and the ship's hull was crawling with automated repair drones. The shuttle however, was completely empty on the way to C-SEC academy. The only other passenger was a security mech in the corner, pointlessly surveying the empty seats. As the shuttle touched down, the mech eagerly opened the door for him and thanked him for flying with the shuttle company. Taking a deep breath before pulling himself to his feet, Thane stepped out onto the vast quad of C-SEC academy. The presidium's synthetic sunlight began to fade away as he strode amongst the barracks.<p>

"Father!" A familiar voice shouted from the roof before Kolyat slid down a drain pipe, landing a few feet away from Thane.

"I thought you were-" Thane stopped mid-sentence when he noticed Kolyat's C-SEC cadet uniform. "I thought you said you still had six months of community service left." Thane said with a puzzled expression.

"They waived the rest of my community service because I joined C-CEC." He proudly responded, stroking the first year badge on his collar with the back of his hand.

"Don't throw this away, you've been given the second chance I never had." The former assassin said before sitting down on a nearby bench. He took a deep raspy breath before solemnly continuing. "The second chance I'll never have."

The cadet's proud expression faded as he took his place next to his father. "Have you been to the hospital yet?" Kolyat asked, his voice now flat and monotonous.

"No, but I have seen a doctor on the Normandy. With respiratory augmentation, I might have six or seven." He said before un-buttoning his shirt, revealing a long metallic cylinder running the length of his ribcage.

"You…what did they do to you?" Asked Kolyat, his expression and tone of voice reflecting his surprise at his father's implant.

"It forces air deeper into my lungs, bypassing dead tissue and allowing it to reach relatively healthy alveoli." Thane patiently continued to explain the details of the procedure, pausing to catch his breath after every sentence.

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><p>The hustle and bustle of the presidium instantly put Tali at ease the moment she stepped out of the airlock.<p>

"Where are we going?" Tali asked as Shepard lead her by the arm.

"A jazz club opened up in lower Zakera ward, it features music from old earth, something I liked listening to on holo-tape. I thought I might introduce you to it." Shepard responded as he stepped into the elevator. Tali didn't respond, she had frozen in the middle of the bay, completely distracted by crewman Valdez's grieving parents.

The commander placed a hand on her shoulder, her gaze still transfixed on mourners. "Aren't you going to say something?" She asked, placing her own hand over his.

"I once tried to say something to Ashley's parents after Virmire, her body was vaporized in the explosion. The conversation went badly, and I think it did more harm than good. But I am thinking about writing a letter to his parents." Shepard replied, his mind attempting to ward off painful memories of his decision to leave Ashley behind.

Tali was silent for a few moments before grabbing Shepard's arm and continuing to the elevator. "Enough about death, let's get going." She said before selecting the elevator's destination.

The lift screamed past the various shops and services as it made it's way to the lower ward. Shepard shook his head at the hundreds of people going about their business. "Thease people have no idea that the Reapers are knocking on their front door."

"That's where we come in." Tali replied, once again shaking off a feeling of dread.

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><p><em>Author's Note: Every review helps me improve.<em>


	18. Chapter 18:  A Night to Remember

_Chapter 18: A Night to Remember_

Hackett was not alone in his office as he looked over the Normandy's sensor data from the nebula that Shepard had sent him, but he ignored the intrusion. The seated figure in the corner impatiently twiddled his thumbs, awaiting Hackett's acknowledgement.

The admiral finally shook his head, sighing heavily as he got up from the chair. "I told you to stop coming here, especially after the incident in the omega nebula." The admiral said under his breath, cursing his decision to trust the informant.

"Don't forget the intelligence I've provided over the years." The man responded smugly, his smile more insidious than ever.

"It was your _"intelligence"_ that got my top commander killed!" Hackett returned, now enraged that he had trusted him to begin with.

"I thought I fixed that, surely you can appreciate it when a man fixes his mistakes." The man slyly responded before Hackett set his hand on the desk.

Hackett silently glared at the man for a few minutes before finally speaking. "Why exactly are you here?"

Eight trillion kilometers away, the billionaire took a smug drag off his hand-rolled cigarette before continuing. "Simply because I have the same goals that you do, victory over the Reapers."

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><p>Tali and Shepard were locked in a tight embrace as the elevator descended toward Zakera ward, it's vibrant colors harmoniously reflecting off her eyes. Tali opened her mouth to speak, but suddenly gave off a loud, wet, cough.<p>

"Tali, are you ok?" Shepard asked franticly, scanning her suit's diagnostic system for tears.

"Yes, -cough- It's probably just a late reaction to the turian food you gave me for breakfast." She responded before casually removing a vile of emergency antihistamine from her arm and injecting it through a port in her suit leg.

"Tali I'm sorry, I should have-" Tali put her hand up to stop him as she smiled. "It's alright, it's definitely worth it for real food." She responded before the lift silently ground to a stop in lower Zakera ward.

"May I take your hand Ms. Zorah?" Shepard asked with a smile, his hand outstretched in anticipation.

"Of course Shepard, lead the way." She replied mockingly, taking his hand as they exited the elevator.

The noise of the busy market stalls reminded Tali of home as Shepard lead her through the crowded bazaar, the tantalizing scent of inedible foods distracted her before Shepard turned down a side corridor.

Tali suddenly stopped in her tracks, her hands clenched tightly around his. "Shepard, why are we heading towards Chora's den?" She asked, her voice now heavy with anxiety.

"Chora's den never re-opened after Sovereign's attack, the restaurant we're going was built in its place." The specter replied, his face offering a reassuring smile.

Tali released a held breath before continuing down the hallway with Shepard. After few steps, she turned to him with an inquisitive squint in her eyes. "I thought you said it was a music club, not a restaurant."

"It's both; you'll see when we get there." He replied before the pair turned the corner, revealing a vibrant holographic marquee suspended above the wide doorway.

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><p>The live music instantly set the atmosphere in the restaurant as the turian waitress led them to a table. Shepard ordered a small plate of asari crawfish over his Omni-tool as Tali looked over the selection of nutrient tubes.<p>

"We can go somewhere else if they don't have anything you like." Shepard asked nervously, straining to pick out facial expressions beyond her mask.

"No, I'm ok. I've already ordered some flavored nutrient paste and I must say, how did you find this place?" She responded before their order was brought to the table by the waitress.

"It was in an advertisement I was sent over the extranet, you would think that after nearly two hundred years of human internet that someone would create a working spam filter." He replyed before handing Tali her nutrient tube.

She locked it in place over her helmet's main port, speaking in-between sips. "You know that's impossible Shepard, but I must say, this music is _very_ interesting. What did you call it…Jiz?"

"Jazz, I knew you would like it." He said smugly before biting into his seafood.

"It's undertones mimic quarian flute music, played on brass instruments of course." Tali replied, watching Shepard as he rhythmically masticated his meal. The band suddely changed pace, drawing her attention to the dance floor. "Come on Shepard, I want to try something."

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><p>Back on the Normandy, Jacob had just finished repairing ceiling of the mess hall with Kasumi as Joker stepped out of the medical bay in crutches. Kasumi ran over to Joker to offer help before he waved her away.<p>

"I've got it, it's not as bad as it looks." He said before beginning a trek to the kitchen.

"Well then how bad is it?" Jacob asked nicely before moving the ladder out of his way.

"Chakwas says I'm lucky I didn't break my spine when we suddenly decelerated." He replied morbidly as he sat down at the counter. Wanting to change the subject, he noticed the fresh panels lining the ceiling before turning to Jacob. "I didn't see the full damage report, how bad was it?"

"If we had been hit with a volley of missiles after the MAC round, the whole CIC would have collapsed into here." Jacob responded before storing the ladder in the closet.

Kasumi shook her head and impatiently taped her fingernails on the counter for a moment before speaking. "What I can't understand is why we're still here to begin with, the slug should have fragmented the moment it hit the kinetic barriers. A ship this size would have been vaporized by the resulting release of energy."

"The commander told me to drop the shields just before the cruiser fired, I thought he was crazy at the time." Joker said before pulling the beverage dispenser out from its spool.

"Even still, we're lucky that we didn't lose more people than we did." Jacob replied before pouring a bottle of beer from the refrigerator for Kasumi and himself.

"How about a toast?" Kasumi suggested warmly before pulling the tab off the bottle.

"To fallen friends." Jacob added, raising his glass to the other two before chugging the alcoholic beverage in one gulp.

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><p><strong>Author: The reviews I got for the last chapter were very useful, keep them coming<strong>


	19. Chapter 19: In Loving Disarray

**Author: We're down to the last few chapters of Resolution, I will begin my new story right after I finish the last chapter. There are six more chapters to go so no rush.**

**I have a poll going to decide on what my next story will be, so PLEASE vote.**

Click on my user name to get to my profile, the Poll is there.

**Poll is at the top of the page!**

**Also, I have noticed a drop in readership, if you think the quality is going down then please tell me in the reviews section. It's the only way I can improve.**

**Next chapter will have much more action then the last few.**

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><p><em>Chapter 19: In Loving Disarray<em>

The re-circulated air was cold and damp as Shepard stepped out of the club with Tali, his legs sore from his attempt at dancing.

"I knew you couldn't dance well Shepard, but…wow that was bad." She said, barely able to hold back her laughter.

"I tried to tell you, but you were too amazing to interrupt. Where did you learn to dance like that?" He asked happily, his thoughts consumed by her slow but deliberate movements on the dance floor.

"Didn't I tell you? I was a part of the cultural preservation programming the flotilla, it's also where I learned to cook that lunch we had a few days ago." She replied as they slowly began the long walk back to the Normandy.

"Do you want to go someplace else before we get back? I saw an advertisement for a sports center if you want to go for rounds of Gedachi." He asked before they entered the now nearly empty market place.

"Maybe if-" She paused midsentence, staring at the small staircase hidden behind a shop. "Shepard, I want to talk to you about something." She said before grabbing him by the arm and darting up the stairs and into the ally way.

"Tali, where are we going?" He asked as Tali guided him through the many back alleys surrounding the markets.

When she stopped, It to awhile for Shepard to realize where she had taken him. It had only been two years, but the ally way was now half its original length, and half the wall was badly painted in a sickly shade of brown.

"Do you know where we are?" Tali asked him before sitting down on a crate with Shepard.

"Tali, this is where we first met! Bit run down since I last saw it though." He remarked before she started to nervously rub his hands.

"I wanted to talk to you about something." She responded, now visibly nervous as she continued. "I don't want to make it seem like… I just want too-" She got up from besides Shepard, pacing back and forth through the ally way much to his bewilderment.

The commander got up and gently placed his hand on her shoulder. "Tali, whatever it is just tell me, if you think what we're doing is too dangerous we'll stop."

"No! It's not that at all." She paused for a moment, mentally shaking herself while collecting her thoughts. "It's just that there's a long standing quarian custom. When two people reach this stage in their relationship, it's customary to under go a small ceremony. It's non-religious of course, but it has some spiritual aspects." She said quickly, seeming to be almost embarrassed to be asking. "I don't want to spoil our relationship by moving too quickly, if you don't want to go through with it I'll understand. I mean, it's just that we don't know when the reapers will reach us and-" Before she could ramble on about galactic calamity, Shepard lovingly pressed his forehead against the glass visor separating the two.

"It's alright Tali, remember what I told you at the drive core back on the Normandy?" He asked softly, his arms now wrapped around her back, following the intricate embossed designs arching across her suit.

"Yes…I know, and I'll always appreciate that, but this is different." She said quickly before catching herself from rambling. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, leaned into Shepard before continuing. "It's called She'lal, there is no human word to properly describe it. It symbolizes a communion of one's life with another, an acknowledgement of the life long bond between them."

"Of course I will, I want you to be happy Tali, why wouldn't I?" He asked rhetorically, his face offering a warm, irrepressible smile.

"Thank you John…I…" She trailed off before tightly hugging the commander with crushing force. Their silent enjoyment of her suit's nerve-stim program could have gone for half an hour if Shepard had remembered to turn off his headset.

"Shepard, pardon the intrusion. Have discovered reason of Binary Helix interest in collector technology, very disturbing." The professor reported, a heightened sense of urgency in his demeanor.

Shepard let out a deep sigh at the intrusion, Tali reluctantly let go of Shepard as he activated the return channel from his Omni-tool. "Shepard here, go ahead Mordin."

"Binary Helix has implemented numerous modifications to recovered technology. Would not want to share details over un-secure comm. Lines, requesting your presence here in tech lab at once." The salarian responded, his tone of voice suggesting great stress.

"I'll get there as soon I can Mordin, Shepard out." The commander replied before closing the channel, shaking his head over the sudden break in privacy.

"It's ok Shepard, you can go. I'll need to get some things first anyway. Just be sure to ask Mordin for compound E115 before you leave." She said slowly as Shepard once again pressed his face ageist the side of her helmet.

"I love you Tali." The specter lovingly affirmed, kissing the thin material at the nape of her neck.

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><p>EDI was enamored at the beauty of the Citadel as Joker and Liara slowly guided her mech body around the Presidium. The crowded plaza starkly contrasted the silent halls of the Normandy. She deemed Joker's mediocre attempt to "show her the world" deeply reminiscent of the moment she first gained sentience.<p>

"Through the roof, you can see all the way to the top of Citadel tower from here." Joker said, pointing at the massive obelisk visible in the skylight with his crutch.

"You should slow down Jeff, strenuous activity will only exacerbate your bone fractures." The AI casually suggested, her normal monotone eerily emerging from the faceless mech.

An annoyed joker rolled his eyes at the AI, letting out a deep breath before finally voicing his complaint. "Damn it EDI, I told you to stop worrying about that. It's only a compound facture anyway."

"Oh don't lesson to him EDI, you know he just hates being told what he can't do." Liara jested lightly, distracted by a display on a shop cart.

"Thanks Liara…" The pilot grumbled, now wishing he hadn't invited Liara along. "You'll like this EDI." Joker said confidently, maneuvering himself for a better view of the miniature mass relay standing before them. "It's the-" Joker had barely begun when EDI cut him off.

"The conduit, a miniature mass relay constructed by the protheans. Last recorded use is two years three months seven days ago by commander Shepard, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, and yourself Liara." EDI said before noticing Joker's annoyance at her blunt answer. "However, it is much more foreboding in person."

"If it's alright with you, I'm going to get some dinner, I haven't eaten in seven hours." Liara said politely as she could.

"We could all stop for nutritional sustenance if Jeff is also hungry." EDI asked quickly, now desperate to get the idea of a grand tour of the Citadel out of Joker's head

"Umm…sure, but why would you want to get something to eat?" Joker inquired timidly, unsure as to the AI's intentions.

"I enjoy watching you masticate."

"I shouldn't have asked, come on I know a place near here." Joker said before leading the trio towards a nearby restaurant.


	20. Chapter 20: Science is Still Awesome

**_Sorry about the lack of new chapters lately, I have had a minor case of writers block for the past few days. As always, PLEASE leave a review._**

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><p><em>Chapter 20: Science = Still Awesome<br>_

There was never more than ten-thousand quarians living on the citadel at any given time, but it took Tali less than ten minutes to find a quarian specialty outlet in the upper markets. The clerk gave her a friendly nod as she entered the store and began eagerly picking items from a shelf. She would have been in and out of the store in under five minutes if a certain diplomat hadn't glanced inside the store.

"Tali'Zorah, is that you?" A familiar voice asked from the hallway.

"Auntie Rann!" Tali eagerly exclaimed, dropping her basket in surprise.

As the small framed quarian tightly embraced her, the rarity of an admiral visiting the Citadel dawned on Tali. "But, why are you here? The last I heard was that the fleet was still in the Shrike-Abyssal." She asked before retrieving her dropped basket.

"Good to see you too Tali, I'm here to make sure the registry of a recent ship we purchased is actually changed. We don't want to have another situation like the Quib Quib. But what about you? I didn't think the Normandy was at the Citadel." The softly spoken diplomat replied.

"We took a beating out in the terminus systems and had to stop for repairs, we're scheduled to depart this evening though." Tali replied while she brought her selection to the desk.

"If you have any free time later we can…" The Admiral trailed off as she saw the various items Tali was purchasing. "Keelah…Tali…I get the feeling you have something to tell me…" Rann asked in silent bewilderment.

Tali suddenly went into panic mode, stumbling through her words as she tried to explain. "It's not what you-" She paused for a moment, taking a deep, calming breath before continuing. "I know it's a little early but-"Admiral Raan put up her hand to stop another of Tali's endless ramblings.

"It's ok Tali, I'm happy for you. But I must know who you have chosen." She said joyously, now eagerly awaiting her response.

"Remember the human I introduced you to on the Rayya?" Tali slowly asked, bracing herself for the onslaught of questions.

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><p>Mordin was at the controls of the Scanning-Electron Microscope when Shepard arrived. He motioned over to the holographic array on the table before locking on to a collector drone.<p>

"What have you found Mordin?"

Mordin brought two models of collector drones up on the holographic display. "This drone I recovered at Horizon, found the other in storage container on Noveria."

The commander carefully surveyed the two micro machines, shaking his head after a few moments. "Sorry I'm not catching on Mordin, they seem identical."

"Indeed they are structurally, at first could not determine reason for Binary Helix's interest. Only use is incapacitation, of use only to slavers. Upon closer examination found that neurotoxin agent was replaced with a potent hemotoxin. Estimate dosage to be lethal to all sentient species, including Vorcha." The salarian grimly stated, pausing intermittently to adjust the holographic display between the drone models and a chemical signature.

"Can we tell who developed it?" Shepard quickly asked before using his Omni-tool to compare the chemical signature against the Alliance database.

"Binary Helix most likely culprit. Substance much too heavy for airborne dispersal, must be administered directly." Mordin replied before playing an animation of the collector drone's injection sequence.

"Do you have any idea how counteract it? An antidote perhaps?" Shepard responded as the results of the search came back negative.

"Antigen development unlikely, pathogen uses artificial platelets to cause massive blood clotting. Very painful. However, sensor data of derelict collector vessel indicates presence of manufacturing equipment. Very likely that production equipment is inseparable from vessel." Mordin explained before bringing a schematic of the collector ship up on the holo-display.

"EDI, are all crewmembers onboard?" The commander quickly addressed the AI.

"Jeff Moreau, Liara T'Soni, and Tali'Zorah are currently not onboard the Normandy. In addition, Thane has stipulated that he would like to stay on the Citadel until our return, and Cerberus crewmember Varges has reported that she will not be returning. UPDATE: Tali'Zorah is now onboard the Normandy." EDI replied from her wall emitter.

"Tell Thane request granted, and that he doesn't have to ask if he wants to-" Shepard was cut short by a small electric discharge through his leg. He whipped around to find Tali's combat drone nudging his side, a messaged banner saying "Meet me in our quarters in fifteen minutes." Was prudently displayed on its surface before the drone fizzled out of existence.

"As I was saying, tell Liara and Joker to get back here, and begin departure sequence as soon as they arrive." The commander said to the hologram before heading to the door. He stopped just short of the CIC before returning to Mordin's desk.

"Do you have something called E-115?" He asked nervously, obviously curious as to the nature of the substance.

"Of course Shepard, here you are." Mordin replied before pulling a hypo-injector containing a lightly glowing substance from the shelf. Upon noticing the commander's wide-eyed stare at the compound, the scientist smiled, letting out the salarian equivalent of a chuckle before explaining. "Tali'Zorah advised me not to explain contents, but would be wrong not to list possible side effects. Includes minor swelling, minor to severe itching, temporarily uncontrollable pupil dilation, weakness of load bearing joints such as knees, excessive electro-conductivity of saliva, and nasal irritation."

The commander let out a loud sigh before rolling up his sleeve and injecting the compound. "Thanks Mordin, keep me advised if you find anything else."

* * *

><p>A pungent and sweet scent filled the elevator as the door opened onto deck one, jarring Shepard from his brief phase of dizziness form the injected compound. When he stepped through the door into their quarters, a deeply resonating musical number began to play through the speakers.<p>

"Are you ready Shepard?" Tali called anxiously from below him. She was dressed only her incremental suit's thin base layer, sitting on a massive quilt spread on the floor as she crushed more incense in an urn.

"Of course, but should I have looked this up on the extranet?" Shepard replied nervously as he stepped down to their quarters' lower level.

"Don't worry, just sit down, I'll talk you through it." She replied before gesturing for him to sit down at the other end of the quilt. "This is one of my families' quilts, I asked admiral Rann to send it to my locker on the Citadel after I was reassigned to the Normandy."

"Is there anything I should be doing, or anything thing I should be saying?" The commander lovingly inquired as Tali removed her long gloves from her arms.

"No, you don't have to do anything for now, and no, it's completely silent. Like I said, I'll guide you through it. Although you'll need to take off your coat off." She replied before her arms slowly began sweating biochemical resin.

"Hold out your hands, and you might want to brace yourself Shepard." She commanded before digging her thumbs into his elbows and bracing her forearms against his.

"Is something supposed to be happening?" He asked nervously, afraid that he might offend her.

"Something is wrong, it might be because…" She stopped midsentence as if she was in shock, her mouth moving silently as she blankly stared at the commander.

"Tali, are you ok?" He franticly exclaimed before un-successfully attempting to rouse her by shaking her arms. Shepard tried to reach the comm. panel with his foot to call for help, before he could reach it, his body suddenly went limp. As he fell to the floor, he felt a cold rush travel up his arms, as if someone had thrust a profusion of peppermint beneath his skin.

The room began to fade away as he fell unconscious, an unimaginable silence filled his mind, broken intermittently only by a distant voice.

_"Shepard, can you hear me?"_


	21. Chapter 21: Course Correction

**_Wow was that two weeks? Sorry about that, now that i'm on break I should be able to speed up the chapters. Shout out to Pride Demon on the bioware forms for helping me with the ceremony. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE leave a review, it gives me greater motivation to write faster if I know people care about it._**

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><p><em>Chapter 21: Course Correction<em>

As the capacitors in battery control room hummed along, Garrus continued his "calibrations". Bored out of his mind, he had been methodically picking off adversaries in N7: Call of Honor for over three hours. A single batarian had been taunting him for twenty minutes before Garrus finally took his head off. Satisfied, he logged off the weapons console and proceeded onto the crew deck.

The floor began to vibrate as the main engines were brought online, a slight grunting could be heard before Joker's voice came over the PA system. "All crewmembers prepare for departure, estimated travel time is at four hours."

Garrus rolled his eyes before sitting down next to Liara as she braced her coffee from falling over.

"How's it going Liara? But more importantly, how does it feel to have an army ten thousand strong at your command?" He asked with a hint of jealously.

"It's actually very hard to coordinate; I'm beginning to wonder if the previous Shadow Broker's eight eyes gave him an advantage." She answered promptly before taking another sip of her coffee.

"Maybe if you stopped eating human food it would-" Liara cut him short before he could finish. "Maybe if you stopped offering advice and helped me sort through the eight hundred and fifteen mission reports that have piled up over the past week it would make it easier." She snapped before tossing a mission report in front of Garrus.

The turian grumbled as he glanced over the extended surveillance report, now wishing he hadn't asked.

Liara suddenly put her data pad down next to her coffee. "Sorry about that." She quietly apologized, a stressed expression dominating her face.

"Don't worry about it, I've received much worse in my time with C-SEC." He responded lightly.

"Let's change the subject, how's your sister doing these days?" Liara asked before tossing yet another mission report into an ever-growing pile of rejects.

"Solana and I don't talk as much as we used to, I haven't even sent her a message since we left for the Omega-4 relay. She's on Sur'kesh with our mother, she has a rare medical condition and my sister is helping her through treatment." He answered before moving on to the next mission report.

"How is she-" Liara stopped midsentence giving herself a faceplam. "EDI, access my personal database and highlight all reports that have the keywords; collector, Reaper, Binary Helix, Husk, and California Nebula." She said before several of the data pads began to flash.

"Thirteen matches found, highlighting selection…"

"Thanks EDI, Garrus you take the ones-" Liara stopped as a geth shadow crept across the table.

"Greetings, we have reviewed said files independently and found a single report of relevance to Shepard commander's current assignment." Legion reported, oblivious to the distrustful glare beaming from Liara's eyes.

"Thank you Legion." She hastily replied before picking up the indicated report and clearing her throat. "One of our surveillance beacons picked up a large convoy leaving the nebula three hours ago."

"Garrus to commander Shepard; a small convoy just left the California Nebula, we can intercept in-" EDI cut him off as she flickered into view from the wall. "Commander Shepard has requested not to be disturbed at this time, except in cases of extreme emergency. He did however, leave operative Lawson in command."

"Garrus to Miranda; we've located a convoy leaving the nebula, if we alter course we can intercept in four hours." Garrus said into his Omni-tool before Miranda promptly appeared from her office door.

"We altered course two minutes ago." Miranda said smugly before grabbing a turkey sandwich from the counter.

"What? But we just found out about the convoy a few minutes ago!" Liara exclaimed as she went back over the report for a timestamp.

"The Cerberus Network extends much farther than you can possibly imagine Dr. T'soni." She mischievously replied before slinking back into her office.

* * *

><p>Grunt growled silently as he stared at his stasis pod. Even though it was barely long enough to fit a full grown Krogan, it had the space for all of his physical possessions. This fact alone did not bother Grunt as much as the lack of trophies adorning the walls of his quarters, he even neglected to grab a single memento off the collector base. He stuffed the last of his holographic action figures into the stasis pod as the door hissed open behind him.<p>

"Going somewhere?" Zaeed asked from the door way as Grunt loaded the last of his possessions.

"Tuchanka, Wrex asked me to join him for some "Grand rebuilding of our civilization"." Grunt said while mockingly forming air quotes with his fingers.

"Sounds like you don't want to go." The merc retorted before picking up one Grunt's smashed model starships.

"I just feel like I haven't done much here, why do you care anyway?" He asked before sealing the now filled stasis pod.

"To be honest I don't, the only reason I'm here is because of the racket you've been raising over here." Zaeed replied hastily before turning to leave.

"Wait…" Grunt said apologetically before turning to the merc. "Why _are _you still here?" He asked with a confused demeanor.

"What? I'm leaving right now you idiot." He replied with a perplexed expression.

"No, I mean why are you still here on the Normandy?" Grunt inquired, now pondering what could possibly keep an active mercenary on board this long now that Cerberus was no longer paying him.

The mercenary sighed deeply before leaning on a nearby chair. "Too be honest I would rather be off on my own right now, but I haven't gotten a job offer in weeks. I just can't compete with companies like the Blue Suns anymore, even with Vido dead. Figured it would be a smart decision to stay here and work for free than sit out on my ass all day, besides I get three meals per day here. Do you know how many I can usually afford?"

"Ummm…one?" Grunt infirmly replied, wanting the merc out of his room more than anything.

"Damn right, one!" Zaeed replied before storming out of the cargo bay.

* * *

><p>The dry grass crunched beneath his feet as Shepard walked across the open field, the sun gently settling below the horizon. A distorted voice began echoing around him. Its words nearly indistinguishable from the wind. "Shepard…" The voice whispered before a blinding light filled his vision. The field began to ripple and distort before finally fizzling out of existence, leaving behind a blank void.<p>

Tali's voice finally came into focus as he regained consciousness. "Shepard can you hear me? Are you alright?" She asked before helping him to his feet.

"I'll be fine after the ringing in my ears dies down, how long was I out?" He asked before checking the anti-septic supply levels.

"Actually Shepard, you aren't exactly up yet." She replied before anxiously rubbing her fingers through his palms.

"What do you mean? The last thing I can remember is passing out I the middle of the ceremony." He asked in confusion before she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"No, I mean you're still dreaming. This is all happening in your mind." She replied nervously, unsure if he would continue with the ceremony.

It took a few seconds for him to register her statement before he could reply. "From your reaction I'm assuming this was supposed to happen, but before we continue, I must ask how this is even possible." He asked in bewilderment.

"It's difficult to explain properly, but the main factor is that quarians have a relatively powerful nervous system. So powerful that with the aid of a conductor such as my biochemical resin, signals can actually flash over between two nervous systems." She answered as Shepard began to pinch his arms in amazement.

"But I'm not quarian, I don't even have the same genetic chirality as you do, what exactly _did _that compound do to me?" He asked

"It was meant to increase your skin's electro-conductivity and boost your nervous systems energy level, that's probably why your ears are still ringing." She explained before noticing his worried appearance. "I'm sorry, I knew I should have told you sooner, It's just that-" Before Tali could slide into another rambling session, Shepard cut her off again.

"It's ok Tali, just tell me what's next in the ceremony." He softly affirmed before sitting back down on the couch.

"The ceremony represents a willingness to share the entirety of one's existence with another, both body _and_ mind. We are able to literally walk through each other's lives, experience as if it were our own." She said illustriously, clearly willing to share every aspect of her life with him, and ready to experience his.

"I'm ready, what do we have to do in order to start?" He asked before she placed her hands over his face.

"We need to go deeper."


	22. Chapter 22: Heavy Ordnance

**_Keep those reviews coming, It is very encouraging to know that people are actively reading my stories!_**

**_Happy Fourth o' July to all my american readers, and a belayed Happy Canada Day to those north of us!_**

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><p><em>Chapter 22: Heavy Ordnance<em>

Tali and Shepard were still on the floor as she slowly awoke from the ceremony, revealing an unconscious Shepard lying on the floor before her.

After slowly pealing their arms apart, she stepped into the shower. As hyper-purified water washed the residue from her arms, she began rubbing a concentrated sterilizing agent into her skin. She almost felt guilty taking advantage of such luxuries, even on the flotilla most quarians had to rely on the personal hygiene flush systems of their suits, and are only able to take a shower once or twice a year.

Once the biographical sensors registered a contamination vector of less than one part per billion, she removed her isolation suit from the sterilization chest and began to assemble the various sealing mechanisms while she waited for the commander to rouse.

As the last panel clicked into place around her thigh, Shepard finally opened his eyes.

"How do you feel?" She asked before inputting a command into her Omni-tool, causing her visor to become transparent from the outside.

"That was…wow…" He stuttered, clearly speechless over the conveyance of twenty five years of experiences in little more than three hours.

"It's not uncommon for bond-mates to start showing traits of their partner, don't be surprised if you start rambling uncontrollably. " She replied uneasily, shortly followed by an uncomfortable laugh.

"Are you ok? You don't sound too happy." He asked quickly, worried that one of his memories had disturbed her in some way

"It's just that-Keelah" She exclaimed before collapsing onto the couch, pulling her legs close to her chest as tears began to roll down her face. "You… you really _did_ die on the Normandy."

Shepard was speechless, he had mentally blocked out the pain of suffocating to death in the vacuum of space, not to mention the experience that death itself had brought. He hadn't given it a thought when Tali explained the extent of the ceremony. "I'm sorry Tali, I should have considered that you might-" This time catching himself from rambling, Shepard reassuring wrapped his arm behind her head.

"No, no it's ok. This is what the ceremony was meant for."

* * *

><p>"Convoy approaching visual range, twelve hundred thousand meters off the starboard bow." Joker announced over the PA system as Liara took a seat beside him.<p>

"Can't their sensors detect us?" She asked before taking another sip from her coffee as the ships gradually took form in the distance.

"Since the Normandy is behind the convoy and both are traveling at FTL; the light from the Normandy will never reach their ships. Hell, if Shepard asked me too I could pilot a shuttle to within one millimeter of one of the windows and they still wouldn't be able to see us." Joker responded before gently easing back on the engines to match the speed of the convoy.

"May I remind you Jeff; that the anti-proton exhaust from the FTL drive would vaporize a shuttlecraft venturing that close to the stern of any ship." EDI asserted before once again disappearing into the console.

"Oh don't lesson to her, she's just a party pooper." The pilot jested before turning back to the console.

"A party WHAT?" Liara exclaimed, nearly choking on her coffee in surprise.

"It's a figure of speech; it means she likes to rain on my parade." He replied with a chuckle.

"Your parade? Never mind, Commander Shepard is almost here." Liara hastily replied having given up trying to understand human metaphors.

The commander let out a large yawn as he finished the last of his instant breakfast mix, casually taking the seat opposite of Liara.

"Good morning Liara. Joker, how long until we reach the nebu-" Shepard froze midsentence as he stared silently at the small armada cruising ahead of them. "Joker, where the hell are we?"

"Cerberus surveillance sensors picked up this convoy leaving the nebula; Miranda ordered us to change course about four hours ago." Joker responded before passing a manifest of ships in the armada to the commander.

"What's their destination?" Shepard asked as he formulated a new plan of attack.

"They appear to be headed to the Omhja Relay, we have about six hours before they arrive." EDI answered while displaying a holographic star chart onscreen.

The PA system sounded its audio tone as Shepard addressed the crew. "The Collector Vessel is surrounded by a small contingent of heavily armed corporate starships. All combat-team members report to the briefing room."

"Joker, inform me of any change in the ships' position, Liara you're with me." Shepard ordered before marching back towards the CIC.

* * *

><p>Although Shepard had ordered him to the briefing room over ten minutes ago, Garrus had been lying in wait outside in the hallway for more than five. He was about to give up and enter the door before Tali finally appeared from the Tech Lab. From his mischievous smile, she could already tell that whatever he had to say, she would not like it.<p>

"Soo… you and the commander?" He said in his subtly subjective tone.

"Shut up." She hissed before pushing past him into the briefing room.

"I'm just saying…" He began before Tali hit the emergency isolation key, slamming the door and erecting a kinetic barrier behind her.

"What about Garrus?" Zaeed asked from across the table as Tali took her seat besides Shepard.

"He can just watch on the vid-screen." She replied before firing up the holographic display.

"EDI, give us a readout on the armada." Shepard asked before the Normandy model was replaced by an assortment of vessels.

"The Collector Vessel is being towed by three long-range mass effect tug ships, while the remaining three vessels are of various class and armament. The largest being the same ship that attacked us in the Nebula." The AI replied as readouts of armaments began to appear next to the hologram.

Jack impatiently shook her head. "Get to the point Shepard, how do we take them out?" She asked before waving her hand through the hologram.

"Yesterday I received a reply from Admiral Hackett about the possibility of reinforcements. Understandably he was unable to authorize help for a vessel that bears the emblem of a known terrorist group. But he did authorize me to remove _this_ from Alliance storage on the Citadel." The commander said proudly before changing the hologram to a small, egg-shaped device.

"What the hell is that? One of Gardner's new omelets?" Jacob asked in a half joking, but worried manner.

"Nothing so antagonistic Jacob, it's an experimental EMP bomb originally developed for use against the Geth. Its unique shape allows it to survive the G-forces from being fired from a MAC cannon." Shepard exclaimed before Garrus was finally able to hack the kinetic barrier, and force the door.

"What did I miss-"The turian paused before a smile exploded across his face. "Is that a 31-79 JGb215?"

"I thought you might recognize this, I need it loaded in the Mass Accelerator Cannon as soon as possible." Shepard ordered before returning the display to the convoy. "Once the EMP has disabled their ships, we will simply blow the Collector Cruiser to hell using the Thanix cannon. Any questions?"

Miranda swiftly raised her hand like a school girl before Shepard motioned for her to continue. "If we're just blowing this thing up, why did you call us here?"

"This weapon was only tested once against the Geth, at the same time it disabled the Alliance cruiser that fired it. Hackett gave me a frequency for our kinetic barriers to block its effect, but it has never been tested. We could be in deep shit if it fails, so I want everyone at their posts. Dismissed." Shepard ordered before the team gradually filed out of the room, with a particularly excited Garrus running off to the elevator.


	23. Chapter 23: Storm the Beach

_Chapter 23: Storm the Beach_

**_Sorry about the wait, I've been on vacation in Washington D.C. and haven't had much time to write. Thanks for your support in the reviews, it keeps me going. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE keep the reviews coming, people who write a quality review will get into a drawing for a sneak peak at the next chapter's drafts._**

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><p>Shepard paced back and forth through the CIC as he waited for Garrus to load the EMP shell into the Normandy's MAC cannon, cursing himself for neglecting to install a captain's chair.<p>

A few minutes passed before Shepard anxiously pressed the intercom. "Garrus, how long before you get that damn bomb loaded?"

"Cut me some slack, this thing's a lot heavier than a normal slug. I had to program an entirely new targeting calibration. I just need to…done, it should be ready to fire." He answered before a large clank resonated through the ship as the shell was locked into the barrel.

"EDI, bring the new shield codes online and fire when ready." Shepard ordered before the entire bridge crew braced for the kickback produced by firing an object at twice the speed of light.

"Firing MAC cannon on target in three…two…one…firing." EDI stated in monotone before the Normandy was shoved back against the power of her engines.

The lights dimmed sharply as Shepard bit his lip, holding his breath for the few seconds it took for the Electromagnetic Pulse to pass.

"I'm taking us out of FTL and circling back to the convoy, awaiting orders." Joker said with a satisfied grin as the now disabled armada fell out of FTL and slipped behind them.

"Garrus; fire the Thanix cannon when ready." Shepard ordered immediately before the bolt of molten metal began its long trek toward the Collector Vessel.

"Time to impact?" The commander asked before impatiently taping his fingers along the railing.

"Two minutes fifteen seconds until impact." EDI responded as the molten bolt faded from view.

The convoy came back into view just in time for the molten mass to slice down the centerline of the Collector ship. Even after impact, it took a few moments for the transferred heat to affect the entire vessel. The outer hull eventually succumbed to the intense heat, buckling slightly before collapsing in upon itself.

"Status report; how much of the technology survived the blast?" Shepard asked as the ship slowly deformed into a crumpled wreck.

"Sensors indicates that the interior of the ship has imploded, all active technology has be rendered permanently inoperable." EDI calmly elucidated before suddenly raising her audio levels. "ALERT: sensors indicate that one of the tow vessels has regained power, now on intercept trajectory."

"I thought you said that the EMP would disable those ships." Joker shouted from down the hall.

"There was no guaranty as to how long it would stay that way, get us out of here!" The commander shouted back before the collision alarm began its ominous screeching.

"WARNING: Object approaching at 300 k/s, impact imminent." EDI said in unusually high tempo before everything that wasn't tied down was thrown about the bridge, including the commander.

"Damage report!" Shepard shouted after freeing himself from the gab between the deck plate and the wall.

"The tow ship crashed into the port starboard bay, the engines haven't been damaged but the mass effect core can't generate a large enough field to go to FTL with this tumor dragging us down." Joker responded before EDI turned on the intruder alert klaxon.

"WARNING: Intruders detected in the starboard cargo bay, 10+ life signs." EDI read calmly before the commander began running back towards the elevator.

* * *

><p>Shepard grabbed an assault rifle form the armory and tossed one to Jacob, and punched the intercom as they stepped into the elevator. "We have intruders in the cargo bay, all combat team members grab a weapon and get down there!" He shouted before the elevator slowed to a stop on deck three. The instant the door opened; Garrus, Liara, Legion, Kasumi, and Miranda began to cram into the elevator.<p>

As the now overloaded elevator slowly descended to the engineering deck, long sessions of Zaeed's maniacal laughter could be heard over the hail of gunfire, Liara and Garrus exchanged a confused glance before Shepard shook his head and replaced the thermal clip of his rifle.

The door slid apart to reveal Tali's pink combat drone sliding down the corridor towards the port cargo hold. "Combat drone out!" She yelled from behind the cargo crane control panel before noticing the open elevator. "Shepard, if that's you in there; we've got Blue Suns pouring in through a hull breach on the port side! You might be able to-" Tali was cut off by the sound of Grunt's pneumatic grenade launcher as he fired a flash bang down the hallway.

Shielding his eyes from the flash, he smugly finished off the last of the mercs in the hallway. "You're clear Shepard." Grunt called out as the sound of thermal clips being swapped could be heard from the cargo hold.

Shepard dived across the hallway behind as Miranda took cover in the engineering access hallway shortly before Jacob and Garrus joined Grunt in the port cargo hold.

"They're regrouping on the other side of the door; be ready, they might try to rush us." Zaeed warned from the adjoining hallway before the door to the cargo hold opened once more.

"Where the hell are they?" Garrus yelled before Tali brought up a thermal scan on her Omni-tool.

"I don't know how but they've penetrated into the main cargo bay, and are taking up positions surrounding the elevator." Tali said before poking her head above the railing to the cargo bay to confirm the readings.

"Are there any service ducts down to the cargo hold?" Garrus asked before jack pushed him aside.

"I'm not crawling through some fucking service duct!" Jack yelled before her body began build a biotic charge, filling the hallway with a bluish glow before the wall exploded outward, knocking the mercenaries to their feet as Shepard jumped down behind a crate.

"How many of these bastards are there?" Miranda asked rhetorically before Zaeed jumped down behind her.

"Not enough for me and Jessie!" Zaeed shouted before unleashing a well aimed volley from his treasured firearm on three of the Blue Suns.

"I need everyone with biotic to get these asshole airborne NOW!" The commander shouted over the gunfire before Garrus dived behind the crate next to Shepard.

"Got any ideas Garrus?" Shepard asked grimly before noticing an absence in the room. "Where the hell is Mordin?"

The lights in the cargo bay dimmed slightly before a whining noise overloaded Shepard's headset.

"Shepard, pardon the delay. Had to re-route power for better kinetic barrier accuracy." Mordin replied over the intercom before a massive blue-and-purple kinetic barrier dropped between the Normandy crew and the mercenaries.

"Mordin, blow them out of the hold." Shepard commanded smugly as the mercs attempted to hack the force field.

"Directive not necessary. Decompressing cargo bay…" Mordin replied before the large bay door began to slowly open behind another kinetic barrier.

The remaining mercenaries began to panic as the warning sirens began to blare, foretelling their imminent fate.

"Get off my ship!" Shepard yelled before signaling Mordin through his Omni-tool.

As the kinetic barrier around the cargo bay door shut down, the screams of the mercenaries were instantly replaced by the sound of rushing air, shortly followed by the absolute silence of the vacuum of space.

Shepard breathed a sigh of relief before Joker came over the intercom. "I don't know what you just did down there but it knocked the tow vessel out of our side. Some of the other ships are beginning to power up and I don't think they'll be very friendly." Joker said as the cargo bay door began to close.

"Get us out of here Joker, and set a course for Earth." The commander replied as the crew began to wander back towards the elevator.

* * *

><p>Commander Joseph Cleveland had joined the Blue Suns at 14 after enduring an impoverished childhood on the streets of old New York. He then spent the next 12 years of his life sucking up to his superiors, and progressed through to one of the highest pay-grades in the company. The Binary Helix protection contract was considered to be an easy job, even with Specter Shepard hot on their ass.<p>

No one on his team was suppressed when the Normandy appeared out of nowhere and disabled their ship, he had ordered a collision course as soon as the ship came back online. Then again, no one expected to die. After watching his entire strike team get blown out into space he was tempted to surrender to Shepard, after all the only the collectors we able to kill him… and that only made him angry.

As he rose to give himself up, he saw the quarian headed back to the elevator, the mercenary immediately ducked his head down and formulated an attack. He hated the quarians. Ever since a member of the first quarian envoy to Earth took his father's job in the fabrication industry he personally held them responsible for his meager excuse for a childhood.

Although he would never act on feelings of loathing alone, but he placed the vague intention of exacting revenge for his team in his mind as he crept along the wall of the cargo bay for a better angle. As he raised his weapon, a hutched figure strode into view as it waited for the elevator besides the quarian. It took a moment for him to recognize the figure as a Geth, just standing there as if it were among friends.

It didn't matter why it was there, let alone how Shepard had acquired one, but it made this suicide run seem all the more appealing. He took aim, careful to make sure that the projectile would go through the quarian and take out the Geth as well before taking a deep breath, he pulled the trigger.

_-click-_

Silently cursing at himself, he reached for another thermal clip from his belt.


	24. Chapter 24: Rook takes the Queen

**Sorry for the extra long wait, I've had a recent death in the family and have had little time to write. I will be without internet for the next week, so to keep a decent flow of material (and to segment the chapters better), I am posing this mini chapter. Pride Demon won the review contest and will recive the first draft of the next chapter. Although the contest is over, Please keep the reviews coming. **

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><p><em>Chapter 24: Rook takes the Queen<em>

As Legion's combat AIs began to shut down, it began to survey the damage to the upper level of the cargo bay while awaiting the arrival of the elevator.

"Creator Tali'Zorah, analysis indicates structural damage to starboard cargo bay." He stated in monotone as Tali approached the elevator.

"I'll get Gabriella and Kenneth working on it first thing in the morning, but for now the Kinetic Barriers will have to hold it." She responded before taking a scan with her Omni-tool.

"Can we offer our assis-" Legion paused for a moment, his audio processors singled out the sound of a heat sink being swapped out. As they attempted to reach consensus, a glint of light from the scope of a rifle appeared from behind a cargo container.

"Consensus reached: TAKE COVER!" Legion shouted before drawing his weapon.

"What?" Tali replied before a storm of gunfire erupted around her. The Geth lunged at her as the suit rupture alarm blared, knocking her to the deck before taking down the merc's shields with his pistol. As the merc careened backward, Tali reached the combat knife strapped to her boot before elegantly casting it towards the intruder.

The commander came charging around the corner gun drawn before lowering his weapon at the sight of a knife sunk deep into the Blue Sun's forehead.

"Damn it, why wasn't he blown out into space with the rest of him?" Shepard asked Mordin over the intercom before yanking the knife out of the mercenary's skull.

"Apologies commander, must have evaded force field due to sensors damaged in collision. Is everyone all right?" The professor asked as he slid down a nearby access ladder.

"Creator Tali'Zorah is not responding to outside stimuli." Legion yelled coldly, turning the heads of everyone in the room.

"WHAT? Shepard shouted before rushing to her, almost diving over the rest of the squad gathering around her.

"Reading massive internal damage to left shoulder area." Mordin said as Shepard's face turned to panic.

Mordin's expression transformed from concerned to confusion as he continued the scan. "Strange; all vital signs stable. Should be conscious."

"It doesn't matter, let's get her to the medical bay!" The commander said before throwing the limp quarian over his shoulders.

"Might I suggest using the computer core as a clean room, atmospheric contamination is less than 12 parts/meter3." EDI suggested as the once again over-loaded elevator began to grind it's way to deck 3.

* * *

><p>Dr. Chakwas was ready at the elevator as the door opened, as she began to run scans Mordin remained in the lift. "Will assist Chakwas with operation, will fetch pressure suits for contamination limitation."<p>

As Shepard placed her down on the examination table, Chakwas began a scan of her shoulder. "Her suit immediately isolated the breaches upon impact, and it looks like it also auto-administered an anesthetic."

"How long will it take to treat her injuries?" Shepard asked, now attempting to contain himself.

"I don't know, two or three hours at best." The doctor replied as Mordin slid down the ladder in the server room with a box of pressure suits and began searching for a three-fingered glove model.

"Request all except leave the medical bay, will commence decontamination immediately." Mordin requested as he donned the pressure suit before tossing a second one to Chakwas.

As Shepard reluctantly stepped out into the mess hall, the medical bay began to fill with the same anti-bacterial mist that was stored in his quarters, immediately blocking out the windows.

"Don't worry about her Shepard; I've seen people from all races pull through worse in my time with C-SEC." Garrus said before taking a seat at the bar.

"I know she will, but when Ashley died on Virmire, I couldn't help feel that it was my fault. I can't even think about another member of my squad perishing, plus theirs an added variable…" Shepard responded with a deep sigh, trailing off near the end.

"If you want to take your mind off this, I'm sure Zaeed is up for another round of target practice." Garrus quickly suggested, attempting to change the subject.

"Thanks, but I think I'll go back to my quarters. Besides, Zaeed is probably busy searching for his belongings in the wreck of the cargo bay."


	25. Chapter 25:The End of the Begining

_Chapter 25: The End of the Beginning_

**_Dear god that was a long gap, sorry about the wait. This will be the last full chapter of Resolution, but my next story will be published by the end of the month and I will be posting a preview here. When you write a review for the chapter, please state weather it is for the chapter or the story in its entirety. _**

As the newest episode of Fleet and Flotilla came to a close, Shepard glanced at the clock in the corner of the holographic display. Sighing heavily, he changed the view screen to the security camera mounted in the server room. Although the antiseptic mist obscured most of the room, he could make out vague humanoid shapes moving about the operating table. Shepard slowly got up from the desk, having realized he had been watching the vid-screen for over three hours.

Now looking for something besides television to occupy his mind, he sat back down at the terminal and briefly entertained the idea of another episode before deciding to begin writing his report to admiral Hackett. As he grabbed a keypad from the shelf, he spied a lone data pad resting in the corner of the desk. Smiling as he picked it up, he instantly remembered what it contained.

As he activated the data pad, a familiar quirky tune began playing as the title "Round peg, square hole; a guide to healthy Quarian/Human interspecies relationship…by Mordin Solus" began scrolling around the selection wheel.

"Mordin to commander Shepard; Dr. Chakwas has competed surgery on Tali'Zorah, informing you as per your request." The salarian reported over the intercom as Shepard closed the data pad.

* * *

><p>Zaeed was already waist deep in debris as Garrus hoisted himself over the destroyed doorframe.<p>

"Up for a round of target practice?" Garrus asked as Zaeed slowly passed a metal shard through the kinetic barrier covering the hull breach.

"What is with you and target practice; is that all you know how to do?" Zaeed mocked before picking his model turian frigate off the floor.

Garrus shrugged slightly before joining Zaeed in the clean up.

"I've been meaning to ask you this since you and Shepard tracked him down; has anything happened with Sidonis lately?" Zaeed asked as Garrus helped him send a crushed pylon out into space.

"Citadel News Network reported that he turned himself in to C-SEC about two days after we found him. I have to admit; I didn't think Shepard's little morality speech would have ANY effect." Garrus replied gruffly before placing the box of throwing knives on Zaeed's desk.

"I thought he betrayed your squad on Omega, how will they prosecute him if the crime was committed outside citadel space?" A puzzled Zaeed inquired as he sent the last of the ceiling panels through the kinetic barrier.

"They probably won't, but Sidonis racked up a multitude of infractions while he was on the run; bank fraud, identity theft, and probably forging transportation ID. I don't know the specific charges, but C-SEC is pushing for life in prison in the court system." The turian answered before tossing the first of many crushed cargo containers to Zaeed.

"You could always _have_ him killed." The mercenary replied instantaneously. His intentions now skewed between offering advice, and hunting for a job.

"If I still wanted him dead, I would have killed him on the citadel, even without Shepard's permission." Garrus countered before taking in a deep sigh, once again convincing himself he had done the right thing.

* * *

><p>As Shepard stepped into the medical bay, Chakwas was busy loading medi-gel stained surgical tools into a disposal shoot as Mordin removed his environmental suit.<p>

"How is she?" Shepard quickly asked, addressing neither doctor in particular.

As usual in any conversation, Mordin was the first to respond. "Affirmative, surprisingly low bacterial contamination. Probably result of area isolation, sedation to restrict movement, and automated medi-gel dispensers." The doctor paused un-expectantly as he slid a small stasis vile into a refrigeration unit.

Dr. Chakwas suddenly stepped in-between the commander and the cryo unit before hastily continuing Mordin's trail of thought. "She's fine commander, there were no permanent injuries. She's waiting for you in the server room." She said while gesturing toward the door.

"Are you sure there's nothing wrong?" Shepard asked again, picking up on Dr. Chakwas's efforts to hurry him along.

Mordin, apparently finished loading the cryo tube, immediately perked his head up; a small, but noticeable grin struck his small mouth. "Of course not Shepard. In fact, quite the opposite; however Tali'Zorah wishes to tell you herself, she is waiting in the server room." With that, the Salarian disappeared into the mess hall.

* * *

><p>As the door to the server room parted, the last of the antiseptic solution slowly spilled out in a cold fog around his feet; Tali sat quietly on the table, gently itching her shoulder, apparently unaware of the commander's entrance. The only visible hint of injury was a transparent, hermetically sealed shoulder plate that kept her wounds submersed in medi-gel.<p>

"How'd the docs fix you up?" Shepard asked with an abnormally uplifting expression.

As she raised her head, she began to stretch the damaged arm out as she spoke. "Good as new, I must give Dr. Chakwas credit; her knowledge of quarian anatomy is surprisingly thorough." She replied before suddenly lowering her arm to her side.

Exhaling sharply, she reached for her omni-tool to lower the opacity of her visor; even before her features began to materialize, he knew something was wrong.

"Shepard…" Tali began slowly, unsure as to how he would react to the situation. "Remember my spontaneous allergic reaction in the elevator last week on the citadel?"

Shepard immediately recalled her sudden coughing fit on their date in the wards, his mind shifting through a multitude of possibilities before settling upon the most likely.

"Don't tell me you've contracted some crazy turian disease again." Shepard asked, now remembering her suit repair malfunction shortly after her trial.

"No, it's not that… it's just that…" As she slowed down, she hoped off the table and began to fidget with her fingers; the commander realized that yet another one of Tali's rambling speeches was imminent.

"Just spit it out; it can't be that bad." The specter re-affirmed; however re-assuring his voice may have been, it did little to mask his now panicked thoughts of the numerous and horrid infections she may have contracted.

Her confusion at Shepard's concern broke as she realized what image she had already plated in his mind. "I'm not sick, Mordin thinks my coughing fit was actually the result of hemosynchronous."

Shepard looked puzzled as he shifted through his basic knowledge of quarian anatomy. After a few moments, it dawned on him, hemosynchronous was the moment when an embryo is directly infused with the mother's blood supply. His momentary burst of euphoria was immediately crushed by the realization that Tali would be pregnant in the middle of a war with the Reapers.

"Tali that- that's amazing but… the reapers-" Tali cut the commander off as he his brain began to lock up. "Don't worry John, I had Mordin remove the embryo and place it in stasis."

With his concern momentarily cast aside, Shepard tightly wrapped his arms around her body; what would have been crushing force to another human did little to compress her dense quarian frame. Too wrapped up in what to say next, he didn't notice Tali's hesitation as she returned the gesture.

"There's still some bad news…" Tali reluctantly continued, not wanting to spoil his moment.

"oh…" Shepard replied sadly, letting his arms fall back to his side as he braced himself.

"Even with your surgery to bypass our chemical incompatibility, our genetic separation would have caused fatal development problems, Mordin suggested that it would have died within a week if he hadn't found it; I'm not a biochemist, but he said that with enough genetic manipulation, it might be able to survive." She solemnly reported as Shepard's expression gradually became grimmer.

"Still, It's a start." He replied before checking the time on his Omni-tool. "There's only two hours left before we reach the citadel, what do you say to a little celebration?" He continued with a growing smile.

"Sounds like fun…" She began before pausing to check the air quality. A slight click could be heard as she disengaged her visor from the rest of her helmet. "But _I_ get to pick the venue." She finished before giving him a short kiss and quickly resealing her helmet.

* * *

><p>As Joker sat down in the pilot's seat, he tossed his now un-necessary HealxTM bone re-growth leg braces down the trash chute (which promptly fell out of the destroyed trash compactor and into the pile of trash Zaeed was shoveling through the kinetic barrier). While he activated his head-set, Shepard confirmed docking clearance for the human embassy from the communications terminal; with the Cerberus logo no-longer adorning the hull, Councilor Anderson felt comfortable having him use the Alliance facility.<p>

"EDI, prepare maneuvering thrusters for docking, get ready to synchronize the airlock." He ordered before making final minute adjustments to the Normandy's pitch and attitude, easing the small ship into its berth.

"Docking clamps engaged, extending walkway." EDI stated flatly as the docking bay closed behind them and began to fill with breathable air.

Shepard immediately activated the intercom as soon as he felt the walkway clamp onto the hull. "All crewmembers have a three day leave. If you no longer wish to remain a member of this crew, please inform Ms. Lawson before your final departure." Shepard announced as the CIC gave a small cheer, knowing that another Cerberus officer would not be returning.

"EDI, you have the ship. Try not to let Garrus turn up the gravity again." Shepard ordered as he and Tali stepped into the airlock.

* * *

><p>As Shepard approached the elevator with Tali in hand, he smiled as Anderson stepped out to meet them, but the Counselor did not return the gesture; instead returning with a reluctant frown. With the subpoena in his hand, Counselor Anderson would now have to complete the most difficult task in his political career; taking custody of Commander John Shepard.<p> 


	26. Chapter 26: NOTICE

ATTENTION!

The story of Mass Effect: Resolution is continued in my new story: Mass Effect Arrival!

Read the first chapter of the continuation of the adventure of Shepard and the crew of the Normandy as the reapers begin to encroach upon the edges of the galaxy!

Read Mass Effect Arrival by clicking on my user name above and selecting "Mass Effect: Arrival"!


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